The Toon Files Season 2
by Brekclub85
Summary: The lost season is finally here! When 7 people falsely accused of a crime are thrown into a junkyard prison, toons from other worlds begin popping up there as well! As they try to have the toon detectives prove their innocence, it begins to look like that 1 of them may not be as innocent as they appear to be...
1. Kung Fu Spiting

**The Toon Files Episode 14: Kung Fu Spiting**

In a realm located who knows where, 7 toons were in the middle of a junk yard. Well, actually…the junk yard WAS the world they were in. The entire realm was a trash heap with some technology.

This particular junkyard was also fancier than the ones one might see in their hometowns. It had various conveyor belts, a massive pile of cars of various makes and models, hi-tech elevators that had their uses limited to due to the fact the junkyard was also a prison.

Those 7 included a wolf named Nina, a human named Mallick Prescott, a lion called Hartwell, a dog named Doyle, a tigress named Sidney, another human named Courtney Steddison, and a rabbit named Ethan. The 7 were close friends.

This stinks," Nina grumbled, "Why can't those cops get it through their heads?"

"I know it couldn't have been any of us," Doyle nodded, "Why would any of us off that guy?"

"Officer McEdison just seems to have it out for us," Ethan added.

"I never trusted that guy for a second," Sidney continued, "We should have avoided him."

What the 7 toons did not realize was that, pretty soon, they wouldn't be so lonely. There would be several other toons from other worlds landing in the junkyard….

….

**The Valley, 1226.**

A long time ago, several animals were living in a mostly peaceful society. There biggest threat, however, was Dragon, who had been imprisoned by the heavens in a mountain for his arrogance. He had Baboon lead an army of ninja monkeys to fight the valley animals, but they failed (often hilariously) every single time.

"What technique am I gonna learn today master?" Skunk, a skunk asked his master, a panda named Panda. The young skunk was training in the art of kung fu to help defend the Valley from the threat of Dragon.

"Today, young Skunk, you will learn the art of balance," Panda said, the old kung fu master looking peaceful.

"Boring," Rabbit yawned, walking past, "Can't we go and fight some ninja monkeys and take them down already?"

"Rabbit, you must have patience," Panda said calmly, balancing on one paw easily.

"Why don't you just go fantasize about Fox?" Skunk teased.

"Why you little squirt…" Rabbit growled, his ears pointed in anger.

Just then, someone came hurrying over to the training area.

"Hey Dr. Turtle," Skunk said to the turtle, "What's got you all flustered?"

"You have to come quickly," Turtle panted, "Someone tore up my laboratory!"

…

A few minutes later, Skunk, Panda, and Rabbit arrived at Turtle's little lab. Being centuries ago in the past, it wasn't very hi-tech, of course, but it still provided a lot of advancements.

"Geez, they really broke this place up," Skunk commented.

"It must've been the ninja monkeys!" Rabbit exclaimed, "Want us to go pay them back for you?"

"One must not make hasty judgments Rabbit," Panda said, examining the scene. "Skunk, I believe it's time you learn ANOTHER new technique."

"Cool, really?" Skunk grinned excitedly. "What is it master?"

"It is the art of sleuthing," Panda explained, "The ability to examine your surroundings thoroughly and make deductions based on the facts you find, not your emotions or grudges."

"That sounds boring, is there kicking involved?" Skunk yawned.

"Whoever smashed this place must like apples," Turtle noted, seeing some of them lie near the scene of the crime.

"Yeah," Rabbit nodded, as he suddenly slipped and fell.

"Ha!" Skunk laughed, though something did seem odd about that. In the area where Turtle's lab was, a long, straight, curved groove had been dug into the ground.

"But what does this have to do with my lab being destroyed?" Turtle demanded to know.

"Say…." Skunk suddenly realized, "There's one person I know who really likes apples…."

….

"Hey guys," Fox said, practicing her skills on a wooden dummy. "Want me to teach you some stuff?" Fox was one of the Valley's most skilled warriors.

"No, Fox, but we wanted to ask you some stuff instead," Skunk replied. Rabbit looked a bit angry at Skunk's accusations. No, he wasn't the one being accused, it was because Skunk was accusing Fox that upset him. Rabbit had some rather none-too-subtly hidden feelings for Fox, and as much as he tried to deny it, Skunk always joked that he knew the truth.

"What do you want to know Skunk?" Fox asked.

"Where were you this afternoon," Fox replied casually, "Why do you ask?"

"Did anyone see you at your house?" Skunk asked, doing his best to try out the "Art of Sleuthing."

"No, I was by myself, working on a little project," Fox replied.

"What kind of project?" Skunk questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Fox noticeably blushed at that question. She hesitated before speaking, "Oh, just a little personal project, something I wanted to work on in my spare time," she said, sounding like she had something to hide.

"You see?" Rabbit spoke up, "She didn't do it."

"Do what?" Fox asked, confused.

"Someone smashed Dr. Turtle's lab, and he's really ticked," Skunk explained.

"Why they nerve of some people!" Fox frowned, cracking her knuckles angrily. "Oww…" she quickly added.

"What happened to you?" Skunk asked, concerned.

"Oh, I was just practicing a bit ago and I think I hit a dummy at a bad angle, got a cut on my knuckles," Fox explained.

"See? She's innocent, let's go," Rabbit told Skunk as they proceeded to another part of the Valley.

…..

"Look Rabbit, you don't have to pretend," Skunk said as they were walking along the clear breezy areas, "You refuse to believe Fox is guilty because you like her."

"That's not true!" Rabbit retorted defensively, blushing. "I just know that her alibi holds up."

"Yeah…..rrrrrriiiight," Skunk smirked, then another idea came to his head. "Maybe you did it!"

Rabbit scoffed at that. "Why would I do something like this?"

"Didn't Turtle call your latest strategy dumb at the last meeting?" Skunk explained, "Or maybe you want to pretend to solve the case to impress Fox!"

The two were about to engage in a tussle when they suddenly heard a voice approach them.

"Have to dig….have to dig," Pig, Skunk's best friends repeatedly gasped as he dug holes in the ground.

"Pig, what are you doing?" Skunk asked, puzzled.

"Oh hi Skunk, Rabbit," Pig smiled, "I'm just looking for my lost dance shoes."

"Um, Pig…you don't wear shoes when you dance," Rabbit pointed out, one eye opened wider than the other.

Pig caused at this flash of insight. It had now all made perfect sense to him. "Oh yeah, you're right Rabbit," he nodded.

"Don't mention it," Rabbit replied slyly. "Say, have you been near Turtle's lab anytime right before this?"

"Nope," Pig replied, digging more troves in the ground.

"Thank you for your time Pig," Skunk smiled, as the two proceeded on to the home of Ms. Duck.

…..

"You played the same card you accused me of," Rabbit frowned right outside.

"We aren't playing cards!" Skunk exclaimed, not getting the saying.

"Oh, hello boys," Ms. Duck smiled, being one of the older Valley residents.

"Hi Ms. Duck," Skunk smiled, checking out something she had recently installed un her home: what was basically a Zen water garden, which various cut bamboo pieces making a makeshift waterfall.

"Do you like it?" Duck asked her guests.

"Yeah, it's nice," Rabbit said, rather uninterested, "And I think you need to fix it a bit. These bamboo pieces don't look fully attached."

"I'll fix that later today," Duck nodded, "Now why have you two young ones stopped by?"

"I wanted to ask you some questions," Rabbit began to say, when Skunk stepped up.

"WE want you to answer some questions," Skunk "corrected" for Rabbit, "If that's all right by you."

"Go ahead," Duck encouraged politely.

"Well, we heard you were upset with Turtle over something that happened a while ago, is that correct?" Skunk asked.

"Oh, it was nothing, he just gave a little negative review of a new recipe I made. I was a little upset, but there's no hard feelings," Duck assured.

"Say, what happened to your shoulder?" Rabbit asked, seeing a bandage wrapped around there too.

"Oh, just pulled a muscle doing some lifting," Duck explained, still wincing a bit at the pain.

"And do you like apples?" Skunk asked, remembering that piece of evidence.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Duck nodded, "Though I mainly use them in some of my recipes."

"Let's get going squirt," Rabbit smirked. "It couldn't have been Duck anyways, I only saw her out of her house sometime before the crime happened, and I knew she was back here until sometime after the incident."

…

Skunk and Rabbit returned to the scene of the crime. "How has your investigation been going young detectives?" Panda asked, eating some bamboo.

"Not too well master," Skunk replied reluctantly, "The art of sleuthing is harder than it looks."

"The most important things in life aren't always easy Skunk," Panda pointed out with a warm grin, "You just have to keep looking for clues." The old kung fu master then walked off.

"It looks like whoever did this just charged through the place," Turtle said, trying to clean up some of the rubble. "All the pieces of my lab look they were all taken out at once."

"Now how could that happen?" Skunk asked aloud.

"It was probably Baboon and the ninja monkeys," Rabbit said confidentially.

"Not a chance!" they heard Baboon's laugh, as Fox was chasing him back towards the mountain.

"That was abrupt," Rabbit commented.

"But what I can't figure out is this space in the ground," Skunk said. Indeed, a long stretch of land that was dug into, making a shape like a half pipe. It went from the top of a hill nearby next to a tree, to down onto the flatlands where the lab was, and ending at the bottom of a small mountain.

"Maybe these are the tracks the culprit left," Rabbit commented, "But you'd need to be pretty heavy to leave marks like this."

"Hey, that's right below Tiger's cave," Skunk said, following the natural half pipe.

"Then let's go check and see if he left any clues," Rabbit smirked.

…..

The two investigating animals made their way up to where Tiger resided.

"I heard about what happened to Turtle's lab, it's so depressing," the big feline sighed.

"Now, there's something funny we found Tiger," Skunk spoke up, "I noticed some kind of trail leading down from a hilltop all the way to your mountain here. Got any answers for that?"

"Eh, it was probably caused by that flood that was caused by the breaking of the dam that the ninja monkeys built to try to drive us to hunger and deathly thirst," Tiger figured.

Skunk, walking outside of the cave, saw something very out of place: A whole bunch of apples!

"Are you a big apple eater, Tiger?" Skunk questioned accusingly.

"Why, good heavens no," Tiger shivered, "I'm allergic to that wretched fruit. If they merely touch my delicate fur, I get all puffed up. Keep those away from me!"

"Then why would all these apples be up here?" Rabbit asked.

Skunk looked around more carefully. He really wanted to learn this new art, and he was aware that he had to be far more careful. It was only a few more seconds before he found another object that didn't belong where it was located.

"Check this out Rabbit, a wheelbarrow!" Skunk called, and Rabbit swiftly hopped over. "I guess the apples were carried in this."

"But why would something like this be up here squirt?" Rabbit asked, looking at the discovered method of transportation.

"And what's this?" Skunk noticed, walking to the cliff edge. "There's a peg right above where that dirt path ended!" Indeed, there was a peg sticking out at the cliff side. But still, Skunk could not determine what it's purpose was supposed to be. In the dust next to eh peg, there was a footprint that did look kind of familiar however…..

"Let's head back to the lab," Rabbit said, "We aren't getting anywhere with this Art of Sleuthing. We should just focus on our kung fu."

"Maybe you're right…." Skunk sighed.

…

Back at Turtle's lab, he saw Skunk and Rabbit come back towards him. "Anything?" he sighed, hoping the answer would be something other than what he was expecting.

"Nope," both animals nodded regretfully.

"Well, then I'm afraid the case is even more complex now," Turtle explained.

"What do you mean?" Rabbit asked, confused.

"Well, I was working until about a minute before I discovered the destruction at my lab. When I was gone, I heard the smash, and quickly came back. I didn't see the saboteur anywhere."

"Then whoever did this must be very fast," Skunk figured, "Did you sense anything odd before you left your lab?"

"Well, I did hear a nice beat," Turtle recalled.

"What?" Skunk and Rabbit asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, as I was working a kept hearing a repeating thump," Turtle explained to the Dynamic Duo, "It was good working music."

"Wait…." Skunk said, an epiphany finally coming to him. "Could it be?" He ran up the hill, to where the trench in the ground had begun. On the top of a hill was a tree.

"Not an apple tree…dang," Skunk frowned, his theory falling apart.

"But there's an apple tree next to it," Rabbit pointed out, pointing to an apple tree a short distance behind it and higher in height.

"That's it!" Skunk exclaimed. "Rabbit, you're a genius!"

"I am?" Rabbit asked, surprised, "Well, duh…of course I am." He added quickly, not wanting to lose that smug smile of his.

….

Skunk, Rabbit, and even Fox made their way back to Ms. Duck's home.

"What are you three young ones doing here again?" Duck asked, smiling peacefully.

"The jig is up Ms. Duck," Skunk said, "I know you were the one who smashed Turtle's lab."

"But how could I have possibly done such a thing?" Duck asked, taken aback by being pinned as the culprit.

"You didn't do it directly," Rabbit replied, having been told the solution by Skunk, "But with the help of some household materials: Namely a wheelbarrow and your water garden!"

"What are you getting at?" Duck asked.

"The wheelbarrow was overfilled with apples until the weight caused it to slide down the trench," Skunk explained, "And a rope was tied at the front end. The trench was made to give the wheelbarrow a clear path and it wouldn't tip over. With the weight of the apples and the slanted hill, you easily smashed Turtle's lab."

"But how did I hide a trick like that? I wasn't near the lab at the time of the crime," Duck retorted.

"You didn't need to be," Rabbit added, "You used your bamboo strips from your water garden to make a spout that apples would roll down into the wheelbarrow. It would happen slowly over time, and the apples falling were the beat that Turtle said he heard."

"And once the wheelbarrow reached the end of the trench, you pulled up the rope, which was attached to the peg we found near Tiger's cave, and pulled up the wheelbarrow to hide your trick. That's what caused the sprain, you pulled a muscle lifting the weight, and that's why your bamboo was uneven, you took it apart and didn't have much time to put it back together," Skunk concluded.

"Ok, I admit it," Duck sighed, "He took some of my special ingredients without my permission to use in his potions! I wanted to teach him a lesson…" she frowned.

"There are better ways to teach someone a lesson Ms. Duck," Skunk pointed out.

…

As the three young fighters were congratulated on a job well done (mostly Skunk and yes, even Rabbit), they decided to take a walk.

"I learned a new art! Woo hoo!" Skunk cheered.

"With my help," Rabbit grinned, smugly.

"Hey, what's that?" Fox asked, noticing something out of place lying on the ground. It was a bracelet.

"I wonder who this belongs too….." Skunk said. All of a sudden, the bracelet….and the trio themselves…began to flicker!

"What's going on?" Rabbit panicked. And then…they vanished! All of the other animals couldn't do a thing to stop the trio from disappearing.

….

Moments later, the trio reappeared in a giant junkyard realm. "What is this place?" Rabbit said, bewildered by his new surroundings. "This is so….metallic," he added, doing his best not to cut his fur on anything.

"I see some other animals over there…" Skunk pointed, noticing 7 figures.

What none of them knew was that this was just the beginning of a bigger mystery…


	2. Joy Ride of Terror

**The Toon Files Episode 15: Joy Ride of Terror**

Skunk, Fox, and Rabbit slowly approached the 7 other animals they had seen in the world they had just entered.

"Um…hello?" Fox spoke up, immediately grabbing the attention of the group. No one was expecting their arrival!

"Who goes there?" Sidney demanded, the tigress jumping in front of her friends to protect them.

"Hold it, hold it, we don't mean to hurt you guys," Skunk said.

"We need to be positive guys," Hartwell said. The lion was definitely the most optimistic of the friends trapped in this unfortunate situation.

"What are you in here for?" Courtney asked, "Or were you framed too?"

"Framed?" Rabbit asked, confused, "We weren't framed. In fact we just got finished solving a crime!"

"So you're detectives eh?" Nina smirked, "Then maybe you'll be able to help us."

"Help you with what?" the kung fu trio asked in unison.

What none of them knew was that at the same time, another mystery was happening in another world.

…..

**New New York City, New York, 3012.**

The past decade or so had been an interesting one for Phillip J. Fry. The 20-something year old delivery boy from the 20th century had fallen into a cryogenic chamber which froze him for 1000 years. When he awoke in the year 3000, his life changed. He was no longer a pizza delivery boy, he was now an intergalactic package delivery boy for his several-times-great nephew, Hubert Farnsworth.

Among his new acquaintances (because "friends" might be too strong a word considering their bonds) were Turanga Leela, a Cyclops mutant who Fry has feelings for, Bender Rodriguez, an alcoholic lovable criminal robot, Amy Wong, Hermes Conrad, and Zoidberg, but chances are you don't really care about that last guy.

It was a typical day after a typical delivery. The crew had almost gotten killed again, but this was nothing special.

"Can't believe they cut the season of All My Circuits short," Fry commented, pounding his fist on the table, only to hurt himself.

"And the twists were getting good too," Amy added.

"Damn those meatbags in the studio," Bender complained.

"Good news everyone!" Prof. Farnsworth smiled, coming into the room. Everyone frowned. Whenever the professor said good news, it was never the case.

"What is it this time?" Leela asked, focusing on the magazine she was reading.

"I invented and installed a new security system to shield the building from future invasions!" the professor chuckled crazily.

"Wow…that actually sounds useful," Hermes said in a genuinely surprised tone. "Though I'm keeping my stuff on my person to be safe."

"How does it work professor?" Amy asked.

"Like this!" the professor smirked, pressing a button.

…

The new security system had ended up causing a blackout around the Planet Express building.

"I spilled my Slurm," Fry frowned.

"It still works!" the Professor called, pointing out steel doors that had shut all around the building.

"That's great," Bender said sarcastically, taking advantage of the lack of lights to steal beer from the fridge.

"Get the lights back on!" Leela growled.

"All right, all right," the Professor sighed, hitting the button again.

"Well that was pointless," Fry said.

…..

Later that evening, all of the Planet Express crew was in different parts of the building.

Fry and Bender were watching TV and being rather apathetic, as usual.

"Can you pass the beer buddy?" Fry asked the robot he was sitting next to.

"Grab it yourself, meatbag," Bender replied when all of a sudden, it happened. The lights went out again.

"Guess professor's security system still isn't fixed," Fry commented. All of a sudden, a loud crash and rumble was heard all around the building. "What as that crash-like sound? Was it a crash?"

The duo went to go investigate, but the door as sealed shut.

"Leave it to Bender!" Bender bragged, busting open the door with his mechanical arms.

Fry and Bender went rushing to the room where several bits of debris were falling down. And what they saw wasn't exactly a pleasant sight.

…..

The Planet Express ship had completely crashed. A hole was busted in the roof that usually opens for departures, and the ship had taken a nosedive into the ground level.

"I'm not cleaning this up," Bender said quickly.

One by one, the other members of the team came running into the room.

"I had to blast my way out of the locker room, what the…." Leela started to say when everyone noticed the ship.

"YYYYYYYYAAAAHHHH!" the Professor screamed in a very loud and extremely girlish tone, "MY SHIP!" Hubert valued the ship more than most of his crew members.

"What happened?" Zoidberg asked, "Did it self-destruct?"

"Couldn't have," Leela replied, "The self-destruct button is in for repairs today. Some punks must have busted in and taken it for a short-lived joyride."

"Ah, I remember joyriding," Fry grinned, flashing back to the late 1980s, "Me and my friends would take my friends' family's cars and drive them down the street. And then we'd be all drunk and we'd crash them. And then I would spend the weekend in jail. Good times."

"Well, this is all your fault professor," Leela said.

"Why him?" Hermes asked, the limbo champ standing in defense of the old man.

"You just had to install that new stupid new security system that blacks the place out, giving those punks a chance to break in and try to take off in our ship."

"I dunno," Bender said, looking at the scene. Being an expert at crime, the robot knew a few things about how the criminal mind worked. "I know joyriders. If there's one thing I can say for sure, it's that they never want to leave the scene of the crime. And look, the front windows aren't broken."

"I see," Leela nodded, inspecting the damage, "So chances are, whoever did this didn't come from outside the building."

"What are you getting at?" The Professor asked the Cyclops.

"I'm saying that whoever smashed the ship was already inside the building!" Leela explained.

"So what are you getting at?" Zoidberg asked, one eye opened wider than the other.

"That whoever did this was one of us," Leela sighed, annoyed by the crustacean's stupidity.

"All right!" Fry grinned, "A mystery! Just like when I used to watch Columbo. But I could never figure out who the culprit was on that show…."

…..

Some of the other crew members volunteered to pick up the mess the out of control spaceship had caused.

"It can't be THAT bad," Amy figured, opening the door, only for various pieces of paper, food, and other objects to fall out.

"Oy," Hermes frowned, "This is not going to look good on any sort of report unless lots of lying is involved."

"Look!" Zoidberg smiled proudly, holding a wrench, "Zoidberg's being a productive member of the team!" He began to twist a loose screw…only to accidently screw it further loose, causing a small collision.

Fry, Leela, and Bender were discussing what to do.

"We've already been a superhero team," Fry grinned, "So I think becoming a detective team is the next logical step."

"Fine," Leela sighed, "But we all know that I'm the only one here who is qualified to lead any kind of investigation."

"We'll just be the lovable comic relief," Bender smiled.

"So where do we start?" Fry asked.

"By checking the security footage," Leela explained, "That may give us the answers we need."

…..

Fry, Leela, and Bender went down to the security room. "The cameras do have night vision equipped, so they can show what happened, even in the dark," Leela explained.

Fry pressed the button for the video playback, but nothing appeared on the screen.

"The hell?" Leela said, confused, "Did someone tamper with the footage?"

"Oh, no," the Professor replied, coming into the room, "This is one of my inventions. To save money, I installed cameras that only can record 30 minutes of footage an hour!"

"Wow," Fry commented, "Even I can realize that that's a bad idea."

Hubert frowned, he didn't like hearing his inventions get insulted. "Well, let me remind you all that that ship was my invention, and I can rig the device to crash and send you all hurtling into space!" he laughed till he started to cough.

"I still don't get him," Fry said as the trio was by themselves again.

"It's clear we aren't going to get any answers here," Leela said, "Let's go find out where everyone else was at the time of the blackout, maybe we'll get some answers to this."

"And maybe I can find some answers to this," Bender smirked, focusing on a magazine crossword puzzle.

…

The somewhat bumbling detective trio was walking through the halls of the Planet Express building.

"You two were together in the lounge, so, as much as this genuinely surprises me, I can't consider you two suspects," Leela commented about Fry and Bender.

"Yeah," Fry said, "Besides, the times when I do things that probably count as a crime, I have at least 30 minutes before everything gets messed up."

"Well, what about you?" Bender pointed at Leela.

"I'm not the type to do this," Leela replied tensely, holding her fist at both of them.

"Yes mam…" they replied in weak unison.

"Hermes claimed her was in his office," Leela said, reading off of a notepad.

"What about Amy?" Fry asked.

"She said she was in the training room when the lights went out," Leela explained, "I could overhear her from where I was, so her alibi is probably solid too."

"So then, that just leaves Zoidberg," Fry commented.

"Not quite," Leela reminded, "There's still the professor himself."

"The plot thickens," Bender chuckled in a menacing voice, smoking a Holmes-style pipe.

"We know the professor isn't exactly….a sane person," Leela explained, "And he somehow always finds new ways to torment us. Maybe he did this so he could pass the buck onto us and force us into more jobs than required."

"Maybe," Fry said, taking a bigger interest in the investigation, "The professor was the one with the button for the security system, right?" he pointed out, "It only could've been him."

"Let's check his office," Leela smirked. While they were on their way, Bender tripped on a small statue that ended up in the hall somehow.

….

The Professor's office wasn't in so much bad shape compared to the other places.

"Darn it, the remote's not here," Fry said.

"He could've tossed it away," Bender suggested.

"That would require the Professor knowing not to make such an obvious mistake," Leela said, and the human and robot realized she was right.

"There's still one more suspect," Fry remembered, "What about Zoidberg?"

"Fry, need I remind you," Leela chimed in, "That a crime like this requires some level of competency. And you're suspecting Zoidberg?"

"Even I think that's funny," Bender chuckled.

"Let's just go see how everyone else is doing," Leela said.

"We could use a break," Fry nodded.

…

Hermes, Amy, Zoidberg, and even Scruffy the janitor were busy cleaning up the damage the loose ship had caused.

"Guh, this is taking forever," Amy grumbled, drinking a glass of water to refresh herself.

"Hey Amy," Leela said, noticing something she hadn't earlier, "What's that scratch on your hand?"

"The barbells," Amy replied, drinking the water, "When the lights went out, it caught me off guard and I lost grip for a second, and he bar scraped my hand."

"And what's that bandage around your gut Hermes?" Fry asked.

"Old limbo injury," Hermes explained, the accountant wiping sweat off his brow, "Got it like 20 years ago."

The trio of detectives began to inspect the interior of the ship.

"Sweet," Fry smiled, "My Hot Pockets collection survived the crash!"

Leela sighed, annoyed. "Fry, this isn't the time to focus on overpriced junk food, we have a mystery to solve!"

Bender and the others kept sifting through the wreckage, trying to find some answers.

"Damn paper," Bender grumbled, tossing several pieces aside, "You had no historical significance!"

"Paper…" Leela gasped, beginning to get an idea of what had happened.

"What is it Leela?" Fry asked, "Did you solve the case?"

"Exactly!" the Cyclops grinned proudly.

…

Fry, Leela, and Bender hopped out of the ship wreckage.

"What are with those sadistic smiles?" Hubert asked his employees, "Have you figured out how you want to murder me and gain access to my will?"

"No professor," Fry smirked, "We figured out who crashed the Planet Express ship!"

Leela eyed Fry. "He means I figured it out," she said. "The culprit behind this was none other than you…Hermes!" she accused.

"Me?" Hermes gasped, "What makes you make that crazy accusation?"

"We weren't sure at first," Leela said, "Your alibi seemed solid, being trapped in your office. But then we remembered your limbo skills."

"That was the key to your plan," Fry said, having cheated at the deduction from Leela's notes, "You stole the security remote from the professor's office and ran back to your own. You bended over far back enough and pressed the button."

"Then the door slammed down on you," Leela continued, "But you used a statue we found in the hallway to keep the door up."

"That's preposterous," Hermes scoffed, "Where's your proof?"

"We're not done," Leela continued, "You then quickly made your way to the ship while the lights were out. You had to act fast, you know you didn't have much time. You turned the ship on, and had to hurry before you got caught inside."

"And that's where you left the smoking gun," Bender said, still wanting to be part of the team.

"All these papers," Fry smirked.

"Papers….that an accountant keeps," Leela explained. "When the professor unveiled the security system earlier, you told us that to be safe, you wanted to keep your stuff, such as your papers, on your person for safety."

"And that bandage around your stomach….it's still fresh from when the door dropped onto you, right?" Fry accused.

"Fine….." Hermes sighed, admitting defeat, "You got me. But let me tell you the reason why I did this: the money. Specifically, the money the company could get from the insurance on the ship!"

"That's right!" the professor realized, "We could easily get a few extra million this way! Great thinking, Hermes!"

"So basically….we're committing insurance fraud?" Leela frowned.

"Pretty much," Hubert smiled, not having any guilt on his conscience. "Now back to work everyone!"

…..

In the Planet Express locker room, it had been a busy day for everyone.

"Just glad to have this stuff all behind us," Fry sighed, putting some of his stuff away.

"You said it," Bender nodded, putting more beer cans inside his chest.

"What's this?" Fry asked, seeing a photo stashed between two of the unused lockers.

"What did you find Fry?" Leela asked, she and Bender going over to the man from 1999.

"Some photo of some people and animals," Fry replied confused. The trio looked over the picture. They didn't recognize anyone involved in the image.

And then, it happened. The photo began to flicker with lights, and soon so did Fry, Leela, and Bender.

"This totally sucksssssssss!" Fry and Bender yelled in unison as they all vanished in a flash of light.

…..

Back in the grand junkyard, the 7 friends were still explaining things to Rabbit, Skunk, and Fox.

"So you weren't even framed for a crime?" Mallick asked, "Our legal system really IS messed up!"

"But we aren't even from this world," Fox tried to reiterate, "We have no idea where this is supposed to be!"

It was then that the trio from New New York dropped from the sky and onto the land, beside various piles of junk.

"Great, more guests," Nina sighed.

"What the hell?" Leela asked, shocked.


	3. Return of the Ripper

**The Toon Files Episode 16: Return of the Ripper**

"All right," Leela frowned, taking out her blaster, "What did you all do to us?"

"We didn't do anything, Cyclops," Courtney said in her friends' defense, "You ended up in this junkyard prison unfairly like the rest of us."

"Is that an 81 Honda?" Fry smiled, "Man I loved that car!"

"We could give you the tour of this place," Doyle offered the newcomers, "So you can know your way around here."

"Sure," Rabbit said, "Then we can focus on getting back to our own worlds."

….

Sidney, Courtney, Ethan, and Hartwell led Skunk's and Leela's groups.

"There are some totally rad places here," Ethan said, the rabbit was very much into music, "Like the Deadly Car Pit, the Conveyor Belts, Mt. Broken Pipes…"

"Sounds awesome," Bender chuckled, sounding like he was enjoying this more than he should.

"You shouldn't be finding this so fun," Sidney growled, the tigress looking down sadly at the messy ground, "We aren't supposed to be here."

"What is this all about?" Leela asked, wanting to find out about the Grand Junkyard and who these 7 were.

"It's a bit of a story," Hartwell smiled, "But we can tell you it if you want."

….

**Ducktown, 2001.**

The town of Ducktown was your basic town….inhabited by ducks. They were doing your typical jobs, and driving around town on scooters.

Across the pond was Swampwood, the city for alligators. Now, one being predator the other prey, alligators and ducks didn't get along with one exception: one gator, Aldo, was good friends with Bill, a duck. Aldo soon became friends with many other ducks, though his friendships were kept secret from his fellow gators.

Bill was sitting at the Decoy Café, one of the popular hangouts. The owner of the café was Bill's friend Bev, who could make a mean milkshake.

"What can I get ya Bill?" Bev asked as Bill sat down on a stool.

"Just a strawberry milkshake," Bill smiled in reply.

Coming into the café were Bill's annoying neighbors: Ed, Ollie, and Waddle.

"Do you three actually have money this time?" Bev sighed, the brothers were somewhat cheap, and often had to work to make up the money.

"Yes," Waddle replied defensively.

"No," Ed, sighed in confession. The brothers all sighed and sat down.

A few minutes later, all of the ducks heard a voice yell. It was Aldo dashing into the café, barely able to catch his breath.

"Aldo? What is it?" Bill asked, concerned for his friend.

"Look at his face," Ollie said, beginning to panic, "He must've eaten a duck!"

Bill shook his head in annoyance, "You guys know that isn't it guys," he grumbled, "Aldo, what's going on?"

"He's…..he's coming back…" the gator said, taking time to slow down his pulse to a normal level.

"Who's coming back?" Bill asked, trying to understand the problem.

"Quack the Ripper!" Aldo announced, to the horror of primarily just himself.

"You mean that silly urban legend?" Bill asked.

"But it isn't a legend!" Aldo insisted, "When Ed, Ollie, and Waddle tried that prank of theirs, they almost got eaten for that. But then, all of a sudden, the real Quack the Ripper showed up and saved them!"

"It was probably just some crazy duck with a bravery streak," Bev said, applying her lipstick.

"Do you know when he came back Aldo?" Bill asked, figuring this could use a little investigating.

"Actually," Aldo admitted, "It's not that he made an appearance as it is so much he announced it." The gator held a piece of paper up. "I found this in the bowling ball factory where I work."

The note was written in red, and it read "I'll be back in Swampwood Square tonight…."

"Ominous," Cecil, the dentist duck commented.

"I'll help you figure out what's going on buddy," Bill smiled.

…..

Despite the noticeable size difference between ducks and gators, sneaking into the town across the pond was not that hard for Bill. The duck had his own gator costume which was surprisingly effective in establishing the deception.

"So are we near the Square?" Bill asked Aldo as they walked through Swampwood streets.

"Pretty close," Aldo nodded.

"Hey Aldo!" several voices called. They belonged to Andrew and Allison, two of Aldo's gator friends. "Who's the small one?" Allison asked.

"I'm….Aill," Bill lied, having to make up a name beginning with "A" to fit the ruse. "I'm trying to help Aldo find out who Quack the Ripper is."

"Quack the ripper?" Andrew gasped, hopping into Allison's claws in a leap of terror. "He's gonna rip out all of our teeth!"

"That's not going to happen Andrew," Aldo promised, "Aill here's is gonna get to the bottom of the mystery."

"And that I will," Bill promised, feeling glad that his disguise had not been seen through.

…..

Later that evening, Bill and Aldo headed to where the note cryptically hinted at.

"This town ain't half bad when you're not on the menu," Bill complimented to his friend.

"Yup," Aldo nodded, "I've been meaning to invite you to one of my bowling nights, Bill."

Bill looked around. "Did the Ripper leave any note indicating when he'd specifically make his appearance?" he asked, checking his watch.

"Um….no," Aldo admitted reluctantly, "But I doubt he'd wait till past midnight, everyone would be asleep by then."

Then, as if on cue, it happened.

"Quack the ripper! He's up there!" Andrew called, pointing between two buildings.

"Ok, now we'll just see where he's going and….what they hey?" Bill exclaimed.

There, floating in mid-air, was someone in a dark cape and had some very sharp teeth.

"Fear me, all you gators!" a massively distorted voice growled. Andrew was very happy to oblige to that order, though Bill, Aldo, and Allison weren't so willing.

"After him!" Bill yelled, pointing his fake claws at Quack as the living urban legend ran across a roof top. Lights shined at the figure, but it didn't help unmask him or her.

…..

The chase was on. "We can't let Quack get away!" Aldo called, nearly out of breath again.

"You'll never catch me before I destroy all of you!" the Ripper laughed, jumping into some shadowy alleyways.

"Darn it, he'll get away," Allison frowned, the girl gator wanting to solve this just as much as "Aill" did.

But as they rounded more and more bends, it was clear that Quack the Ripper had disappeared into the night.

"This is for real," Aldo and Andrew panicked, "He's gonna get all of our teeth!"

"Calm down guys," Bill said, "It just had to be some very elaborate jokester."

"But how was he floating in the air?" Andrew panicked, "He has powers! He can find a gator no matter where they are hiding!"

Bill stopped and gulped. The gator had a point there. "That's the million dollar question," he agreed.

….

The next day, Bill went back to the Decoy Café.

"All right guys, which one of you was it?" he asked simply.

"Which one of us was what?" Waddle asked, the neighbor trio now had the money to get some milkshakes.

"You all know what," Bill said accusingly, "Which one of you was Quack the Ripper last night?"

"Quack the Ripper?" Ed asked, "Even we know better than to try that twice. Coming from us, that's saying something."

"Oh, come on guys, I know you were the only ones who heard Aldo talking about it yesterday," Bill pointed out, "It had to be one of you."

"Well, no one got hurt, right?" Bev asked.

"That's right," Bill replied.

"Then it's probably nothing any of us need to worry about anymore," she said, preparing Bill's preferred milkshake in advance.

"Maybe," Bill sighed, sitting down on one of the chairs.

"This is so cool," Ollie smirked, showing off his new red tie.

"I think it looks ugly," Ed taunted.

"Not this again," Bill sighed, sipping the sugary shake before him.

It was then the duck's watch began to wring. "Oh crud!" Bill realized, "I promised to meet up with Cecil this afternoon!" He quickly went dashing out of the café.

"Can I finish your milkshake?" Waddle called after Bill was out of hearing distance. "No reply means "Yes"…" he said to the others.

…..

Bill took his scooter to get over to Cecil's office as fast as possible.

"Please tell me I'm not late," Bill gasped to the duck dentist.

"No, you're right on schedule Bill," Cecil noted.

"Why did you want to see me, anyways?" Bill asked.

"It's a new invention of mine," Cecil grinned proudly, "One that will help me with future patients of various species."

"Cool," Bill said, impressed, "Show it to me."

"Here it is!" Cecil said proudly, pulling a tarp up, unveiling what was under it. Beneath the tarp was a special chair, where several orthodontic implements had been built in.

"This looks pretty neat Cecil, but what is it?" Bill asked.

"It's everything," Cecil grinned, pointing to each individual piece with a ruler, "A tooth mold, which can make a denture impression out of anything; An auto-brusher, which can make brushing one's teeth a breeze; A super-flosser, so one's teeth can be cleared of any unwanted gunk in a flash!"

"This is all real nice and all Cecil," Bill admitted, "But what do you intend to do with it all?"

"Win the Ducktown invention contest," Cecil grinned, "Even though we don't have teeth ourselves, the visuals I'm sure will be impressive enough to the judges."

"That reminds me," Bill suddenly remembered, "I'm going to go head back to Swampwood."

"Two days in a row?" Cecil asked, Bev having called ahead to tell Cecil Bill was on his way, "What for?"

"To solve a case," Bill admitted.

….

Bill had changed back into his gator costume and met Aldo at the center of the pond.

"Hey there buddy," Aldo smiled, "Where are we going to find clues? I bought a tweed hat, a magnifying glass, and all sorts of detective stuff."

"Like they say Aldo," Bill said, determined, "We have to go back to where it all began."

"The hospitals where we were born at?" the gator said, surprised.

"The square where we saw the Ripper, Aldo," Bill corrected.

….

The duo returned to the scene of the incident.

"There were so many alleyways," Bill noted, "How can we remember which the Ripper first showed up at?"

"I remember," Aldo said, "Quack was first seen floating between the two buildings with the purple flags on the sides."

"There it is!" Bill pointed, finding what Aldo had remembered, "But I only see one building with a purple flag on the side."

"Maybe one of them took it down because it rained," Aldo suggested.

"It didn't rain last night," Bill said, confused.

"Then why is the ground so wet around here?" Aldo asked, the two friend's feet leaving splashes every time they took a step.

"And then the biggest question," Bill spoke up, "Is how the Ripper could stand in the sky like that?"

It was here that Aldo started to get nervous again, "You don't think Andrew was right….you don't think we're dealing with a real supernatural gator hunter, do you?"

"There's no such thing as the supernatural, Aldo," Bill said, "And I will prove that….somehow. Maybe he or she made use of wires."

And then, speak of the devil, Andrew and Allison showed up.

"Hey Aldo, hey Aill," Allison waved, "Are you still trying to figure out who Quack was?"

"Yes," Bill nodded, "Are you?"

"No, I'm not," Allison admitted, "I came back to look for my lucky notepad."

"When did you lose it?" Bill asked.

"Last night, it happened to happen right after we saw the Ripper," Allison explained. Andrew was still shaken up about what had happened.

"Could that be it?" Bill said, noticing a notepad pressed against a trash can.

"That's it!" Allison smiled, picking it up, only to frown when she realized "Darn it! It's water damaged. I'm gonna have to dry it off. And how did it get over here? Was someone going to throw it away?"

"Guys," Andrew shivered, "I think someone's dead!"

"What do you mean?" Bill asked in disbelief.

"There's blood!" Andrew pointed in terror, seeing a red smear on a wall.

Bill examined the substance. "Andrew, this isn't blood…..it's….." he stopped mid-sentence.

"What it is….Aill?" Aldo asked, still using the fake name.

"Aldo my friend," Bill said, a big grin starting to appear on his face, "I've figured it all out! It's time to go unmask Quack the Ripper!"

"Be careful," Andrew gulped.

…..

It was just after the lunch rush at the Decoy Café. Bev was washing dishes for the next batch of customers when Bill and Aldo stepped inside.

"What can I get you guys?" Bev smiled.

"A confession," Aldo said to the café owner.

"Confession to what?" Bev asked.

"Being Quack the Ripper, Bev," Bill revealed. "We know it had to be you."

"That's crazy," Bev laughed, giving the guys their menus. "How could I have done that?"

"The levitation trick had me baffled at first," Bill admitted, ordering an iced tea, "But clues I uncovered today made me figure out the key to this whole mystery was ice."

"The Ripper wasn't floating between two buildings, she was standing on a big block of ice," Aldo explained, "That's why there was only 1 building with a purple flag on the side."

"There wasn't 2 flags, it was just the reflection of one," Bill continued, "And Allison's notepad. It ended up mocing that distance because the ice melted. That explains the puddle. Those lights that shined on you as you began to run away weren't just for show, they were used to melt the ice. You correctly figured that if you kept us on your tail, we wouldn't stick around to see the ice melt."

"Very neat guys," Bev smirked, "But where is your proof that any of this was my doing? And what'll it be?"

"Salad with a strawberry milkshake," Bill said.

"Vanilla for me," Aldo continued.

"As for the proof," Bill concluded, "It was in the blood. Actually, I shouldn't use that word, as what Andrew saw wasn't blood. It was red lipstick….the kind you were applying the other day."

"Fine, you got me," Bev admitted, heading back to the kitchen to prepare the orders.

"But why Bev? You were never the prankster type," Bill commented.

"Promotion, Bill," Bev smiled, "With Halloween coming up, I came up with a new flavor for the milkshakes: Scary Berry. And you know what they say about advertising, you have to be elaborate. So I went for some crazy publicity."

"Interesting," Bill said as the duo were given their orders. "We'll be sure to try it when it comes out."

"And keep Ed, Ollie, and Waddle from getting free samples," Aldo chuckled.

"You guys are the best," Bev smiled.

…

As the two were preparing to leave the Decoy Café, Aldo noticed something sticking to the wall.

"Some kid must have left his toys behind Bill," Aldo said.

"What makes you say that Aldo?" Bill asked.

"Here's a set of stickers," Aldo said, picking up the plastic strip with his claws…and then the two friends and the stickers began to flash.

"What's going on Aldo?" Bill gasped.

"I don't know Bill!" Aldo replied, beginning to panic, when the two vanished into thin air.

…

Back in the junkyard, Nina, Mallick, and Doyle were the first ones to see the duck and gator who just crash landed into their world.

"I swear," Nina growled, the wolf sharpening her claws, "Once we get out of here, I am finding out who the killer is and I'll be dealing with them personally."

"Oh great, a junkyard," Bill frowned, "And I just had all my feathers cleaned the other day."

"The same with my scales," Aldo nodded.

"Um…you two, whoever you are," Doyle said to the friends, "This isn't something you should be taking lightly."

"Where are we?" Bill demanded, "Just some big city junkyard?"

"No, far from it, I'm afraid," Mallick said.

"This is a prison from which there is no escape," Nina revealed.

"A prison?" Bill and Aldo had gasped in horror.

Though they were scared now, no one knew the nightmare was just beginning….


	4. Talon Rock Mayhem

**The Toon Files Episode 17: Talon Rock Mayhem**

"Whoa!" Bender gasped as he was suddenly picked up by a force. The bending robot with the alcohol problem was taken off his metallic feet.

"The cranes," Sidney explained, "Some of the machinery around here is still active. Those cranes have big magnets, and they're constantly on the move."

"What else is active around here?" Leela asked, hoping they could use something as an escape route.

"There used to be a communicator," Ethan explained, "That we could use to communicate with the world above. But one day it turned up smashed. We still haven't figured out how that happened."

"It was probably those dirty cops up above," Courtney frowned.

"Guys, we shouldn't be stressing out about this," Hartwell advised.

"I'll find us a way out of here," Rabbit promised his allies.

"Ah ha! You DO like Fox!" Skunk teased, earning a sneer from Rabbit. His fellow kung fu warrior looked ready to pound his face in for that comment.

…

"So why are you all here?" Aldo asked Doyle, Mallick, and Nina.

"Up above, we were all in the same organization," Mallick said, "We are an environmental group that helps stop blatant damage to nature."

"There was this gorilla….Leslie Reynolds was her name," Nina explained, "She had been dumping toxic waste into the lake of our hometown, and we were able to take her to court over it."

"What happened during the trial?" Bill asked.

"Well, that damn Leslie was gaining an advantage. We know she bribed the jurors. But then, one night at a party some of us attended, she was found dead."

"And they thought it was you?" Aldo figured.

"Yes, but they couldn't prove it," Doyle said, "But they said we were the only ones were the motive and means to kill her, so they had us locked in a room until one of us confessed."

"When obviously none of us did so for a crime we didn't commit, they sentenced us all to this place," Nina concluded.

"That's terrible…." Bill frowned.

"We're gonna prove to them they're wrong…somehow," Nina vowed.

…..

Up above the junkyard realm, in the city of Holbrook was two police officers, Clay McEdison, a cheetah, and Ginny Foyer, a baboon.

"We haven't received a message from those 7 in a while," Ginny said to Clay.

"Maybe the guilt is finally settling in," Clay suggested, the cheetah officer was confident that he had made the right choice by sentencing the 7 toons down to the junkyard prison.

"Maybe…." Ginny nodded in an unsure response, "But don't you think it's strange? Even if they were ready to confess, you think they would've just admitted it to us. We promised that those not involved would be set free…."

"Who knows?" Officer McEdison replied, "You never can tell what's going through someone's mind."

….

**Camp Kidney, Prickly Pines, California, 2005.**

What seemed like something so simple was actually something very hectic. The Bean Scouts seemed like your average animal Boy Scout troop, though the wide variety of personalities (mostly manic ones), plus the regular apathy of the camp staff made it an abnormal experience for everyone involved. Indeed, their summer camp, Camp Kidney, was at that level of poor quality where it wasn't quite bad enough to be abandoned, but bad enough that for the most part, a lot of the boys were cynical.

"Avast ye!" Lazlo, a spider-monkey acted, playing pirates with his best friends Raj the elephant and Clam the rhino.

"Um, Lazlo…these swords are not made for proper sword fighting….they're sticks," Raj pointed out, the elephant always was the one who liked accuracy of the trio.

"BATTLE!" Clam exclaimed. The rhino was a guy of few words….and even fewer complete sentences.

The makeshift pirate battle went on for a few minutes when suddenly mocking laughter was heard.

"Look at those losers," Edward the platypus said to his cabin mates, Chip and Skip the dung beetles. The trio was out on a motor boat.

"You wanna play?" Lazlo asked absent-mindedly.

"No, we're going water skiing!" Edward bragged.

"The water's going to ski?" Chip asked. The dung beetles weren't exactly the brightest of the bunch.

…..

Later, when all the scouts were out in the lake, another boat passed by. It was big and fancy, and belonged to Acorn Flats, the nearby Girl Scout camp.

"You guys ready to lose the prank war?" Gretchen the gator taunted.

"I've calculated will we be surprising you good sometime tonight," Nina the giraffe read off.

"No hard feelings when we cream you, though," Patsy the mongoose smiled lovingly to Lazlo. She had a major crush on the monkey, though currently those feelings were unrequited.

"We're going to beat you," Lazlo said in reply to the girls.

"We're totally gonna lose," Samson, the pessimistic Guenia-pig sighed.

"Tonight boys…" Patsy teased in a sing-song voice, "You'll all be in for a shock…"

….

That evening, a storm had hit Prickly Pines. The Bean Scouts were all gathered in their camp's mess hall, some of them showing off their merit badges.

Edward had earned a badge for dirt biking that he liked to show off boastfully, as well as a badge for rock climbing.

Samson had badges for baking and knot tying, though, as usual, he was ignored by his fellow scouts.

Raj had earned his "Cabin Tidiness" merit badge, which he washed daily.

"So," Edward said to the others, "Do you think those girls are just bluffing?"

"We haven't seen them anywhere near camp all day," Lazlo said, even the monkey could appreciate a prank war.

"They said they would be striking tonight," Samson said, "So maybe we should keep a lookout…"

"That's right," Edward nodded, "Samson, you look out the telescope and see if you can see them coming."

Samson sighed, having been forced to do a task again. He went to the mess hall telescope. Though it was raining, the lights from the camp gave enough illumination.

"I don't seem to see anything….nerts!" he suddenly exclaimed, "Everyone get over here!"

The other guys dashed over to the telescope.

"What is it?" Raj asked.

"It's Mr. Deadbody!" Samson panicked. Mr. Deadbody was a dummy owned by the camp's nurse, Nurse Leslie, to show the anatomy of animal's innards. The dummy was hung from a tree with a noose around its neck, on an island in the middle of the lake.

"That's Talon Rock!" Lazlo called, "We have to get over there!"

…

Since Scoutmaster Lumpus was rather apathetic to what happened to the boys, the scouts were able to grab their canoes and head out on the lake.

"We have to get to Talon Rock before the girls can rub it in our faces!" Raj panicked as they paddled through the storm.

"PANIC!" Clam panicked, as the group brought the canoes to the small island's shore.

"What happened to Mr. Deadbody?" Lazlo asked, seeing that the noose had snapped. "Let's look for him…"

"Don't tell me they took him back already," Dave, another one of the guys sighed.

But the Bean Scouts weren't split up for long.

"Um…guys…" Samson panicked, taking out his inhaler so he could breathe easier, "You're….gonna wanna see this…."

"What is it Samson?" Lazlo asked, but then he gasped. The other boys all gasped at what they saw as well.

There, before them, lie Mr. Deadbody. The dummy had been scribbled all over with markers, making it look like a baby doll only in much poorer quality.

"Those darn Squirrel Scouts…." Edward growled.

"Mr. Deadbody….how could they do this to you?" Lazlo and Raj began to cry, their tears getting mixed with the pouring rain in the night.

"REVENGE!" Clam yelled with a grudge, the rhino shaking his fist towards the Girl Scout camp.

"What are we going to do?" Chip and Skip asked.

"I'll tell you guys what we're going to do," Edward said, taking charge, "Some of us are gonna go over to Acorn Flats and get those girls back with a prank of our own. The others are going to take Mr. Deadbody back to Camp Kidney so they won't realize their scheme worked. Who's with me?"

With how riled up the other guys were, it wasn't hard for Samson, Chip, Skip, and Clam to join Edward's cause.

"Alright Lazlo, you and Raj get Mr. Deadbody back to camp," Edward instructed, "The rest of us men…we're getting payback!" the platypus laughed vengefully.

"YEAH!" the other guys said, picking up various sticks to represent pitchforks and torches.

"Let's go Raj," Lazlo said, he and the elephant picking up the vandalized dummy. The two groups split up and went in separate canoes.

…..

As Lazlo and Raj paddled back to Camp Kidney, something had been bugging Raj since they went off to Talon Rock, and he figured now would probably be the best opportunity to vocalize it.

"Something eating you Raj?" Lazlo asked.

"Something's eating me?" Raj panicked, but then he realized the metaphor. "Actually Lazlo, something has been bothering me since we saw Mr. Deadbody hanging from that noose."

"What is it Raj?" Lazlo asked.

"I was in the nurse's office earlier today, and I saw Mr. Deadbody there," he explained.

"What's important about that?" Lazlo asked.

"After we saw the girls on the lake earlier today, we were all pretty much together at the camp. How could any of the girls make it inside the nurse's office, steal the dummy, and get it out to Talon Rock without any of us seeing them?"

"You're saying we got a mystery on our paws?" Lazlo asked, starting to find this exciting.

"Yes, but even taking that into account, there are still plenty of things I don't get," Raj admitted.

"Like what?" Lazlo asked again, starting to feel a burn on his elbow.

"For one thing, when we saw Mr. Deadbody from the telescope, he was still swaying. Though it's raining right now, there aren't any major winds. That would mean that whoever put him there had to have done it just moments before we saw him. But we didn't see anybody leave the island when we headed over there."

"So what are you getting at?" Lazlo asked, but he suddenly got distracted, "Who tried a rope over this canoe?" he complained. Indeed, a rope had been tied in a loop around the canoe they were on.

"I'm saying that this may not be the work of the Squirrel Scouts," Raj explained as they reached the camp's shore.

…..

Meanwhile, at Acorn Flats, Edward's group was sneaking through the campgrounds.

"We need to make it to their mess hall, boys," Edward instructed.

"Gotcha Edward," Chip and Skip smiled doofily.

"Just keep it down," Edward instructed, slapping his face in annoyance.

The Bean Scouts who went seeking revenge made their way across the Squirrel Scouts' camp. Patsy, Gretchen, and Nina were having a discussion.

"I can't wait to see the look on the boys' faces," Gretchen chuckled wickedly.

"They will be quite startled, indeed," Nina agreed, jotting down some notes.

"All right," Edward smirked silently, "We know it was them. Let's grab some pies from the mess hall and give them a nice little facial," he chuckled sinisterly.

The guys evaded the girl scouts until they reached their destination.

"There's the pie pantry," Samson pointed with a whisper.

"REVENGE!" Clam suddenly exclaimed very loudly, getting some unwanted attention.

"It's the Bean Scouts!" Patsy pointed, "Get them!"

"Oh crap…" Edward frowned, "Let's get going boys…." And they all ran as fast as they could.

…

Back at Camp Kidney, Lazlo and Raj brought Mr. Deadbody back to the Nurse's office.

"What happened to that?" Nurse Leslie, the pink shark asked, rather apathetically.

"Someone took Mr. Deadbody out to Talon Rock and hung him with a noose!" Lazlo explained dramatically, but the nurse didn't seem to care that much.

"Well that's just great, now I have to do a cleanup job," Leslie sighed.

"Will Mr. Deadbody ever recover?" Raj asked.

"Who knows," Leslie shrugged, "Besides…I have a backup one. Looks just the same, though it's an inflatable pool toy. Oh great….that one is missing too…."

Suddenly, an idea began to hit Raj's somewhat big head.

"Hey Lazlo," Raj commented.

"Yeah buddy?" Lazlo smiled.

"When we went over to Talon Rock, do you remember who was in what canoe?"

"Sure," Lazlo smiled, "You and me shared a canoe, as did Chip and Skip, while Clam, Samson, Edward, and the other guys all too their own…" the spider-monkey listed.

A big grin appeared on Raj's face. "Then my good friend, I know who did this!" he smiled proudly. "We need to get back to Talon Rock, and quick!"

…..

Lazlo and Raj got back from their return to the small island just as the rain was starting to die down and the other boys made it back from Acorn Flats.

"That was close," Edward panted.

"Good news Edward," Lazlo smiled broadly.

"You're leaving camp?" Edward snarked.

"No, we figured out who put Mr. Deadbody on that island!" Raj revealed.

"Who was it?" Edward demanded to know.

"If you have to know," Lazlo replied, "It was none other than you…..Samson!"

"Me?" Samson gasped, "I'm not important enough to do something like this? And how could I have done it? I was the one who saw Mr. Deadbody with the telescope!"

"That was all part of your plan," Raj revealed, "To throw us off your trail. You looked at the telescope and called us to the attention of the supposed Mr. Deadbody."

"But we really did see him," Dave reminded.

"That was Mr. Deadbody Dave, but not the dummy…" Lazlo explained, "What we saw hanging from the noose was the pool toy version! This plan had to happen on a rainy night, so the rain would be used to inflate Mr. Deadbody and make it look like the dummy was on Talon Rock."

"But guys," Samson said, trying to throw them in the wrong direction, "We found the dummy on the island, and we could tell it was no pool toy. How could I have gotten it there?"

"You used your rope typing skills," Raj explained, "Before we departed you took the dummy Mr. Deadbody and put it under one of the canoes and tied it in place. Once we saw the pool toy, we took off. It was a bit of a gamble, but if you put the canoe in a specific spot, you'd for sure be the one to pick it. And we found the remains of the pool toy Mr. Deadbody on Talon Rock. You knew by the time we reached the island, the force of the rain would overinflate and pop it. While we were searching, you took the dummy out and pretended to discover it. The markings were made in advance."

"But where's your proof I did any of this?" Samson chuckled.

"You're the only one with the knot tying badge," Raj pointed out, "And we found traces of your fur in the canoe with the rope still around it."

"Fine, I admit it!" Samson sighed, "I wanted to single handedly win the prank war by doing something that fooled both the guys and the girls! I wanted to prove how not useless I was."

"But how exactly was this going to prove that?" Edward asked, using logic.

"Um…." Samson replied, even he wasn't sure of the answer.

….

Later that night, in the Jelly Bean Cabin, Lazlo and Raj were having a simple chat.

"You gave me a great idea Raj!" Lazlo grinned, "Tomorrow, we should play detective! You can be Sherlock, I'll be the Watson!"

"Why thank you Lazlo, for respecting my intellect," Raj said, rather satisfied.

"Can I call you Shirley?" Lazlo asked, earning a frown from Raj.

"PRESENT!" Clam exclaimed.

"I didn't notice that there," Raj said, seeing a box rapped in a bow right outside the window.

Lazlo, Raj, and Clam went to go find out what the surprise was.

But they would have a hard time finding that at, because as soon as they touched the box, as per usual, they began to flash.

"What's with the light show?" Lazlo asked, "Fireworks aren't scheduled till next week."

"Lazlo, I do not think these are…" Raj started to say, and then they disappeared. Their summer vacation was about to get interrupted.

…

"Wow," Mallick awed, as the three Bean Scouts appeared in the junkyard prison, "Did someone decide to hold a party without telling the rest of us? This is just getting really annoying now."

"BIZZARE!" Clam exclaimed, the trio looking around in confusion.

"Is there anything we can do to help you guys?" Aldo asked Doyle, Mallick, and Nina.

"You can prove to the cops that we're innocent," Nina suggested, but then her face turned into a frown, "But that'll never happen, knowing our communications have been cut off."

"Cheer up," Bill smiled, "There's never a reason to give up hope."

But, as the group would soon find out, there would be a reason why happiness wasn't exactly the emotion people would be showing….


	5. Shadows Among the Trees

**The Toon Files Episode 18: Shadows Among the Trees**

"You know," Leela offered, as Fry, Skunk, and Rabbit freed Bender from the magnet, "I could probably get this communicator fixed with just a few parts." The Cyclops was indeed one of the most sane and more tech-savvy people in the junkyard prison.

"Feel free," Courtney smiled, she was the one who always tried to maintain order among her friends.

"Hey guys," Doyle called to Sidney and Hartwell over a walkie-talkie, "We have more new arrivals. You have to check this out."

"That's great," Hartwell smiled, being the ever-optimist, "We can have new friends!"

Sidney stepped forward, "I need to grab some things. You guys know the way back to our base."

…..

Rabbit, Fox, Skunk, Fry, and Bender were walking back. "The perfect time for my reserve Slurm," Fry smiled, revealing he was wearing a necklace connected to an unopened can of Slurm.

"Hey, no freebies!" Bender frowned, grabbing the necklace and throwing it into the car pit Hartwell had mentioned on the tour.

"My slurm!" Fry said, going to jump for it, when Ethan stopped him.

"You don't want to do that," Ethan advised, the rabbit guarding the human, "There are so many jagged edges there's no way you could get out of there without mutilation."

"Damn it," Fry frowned, seeing the edge the necklace had wrapped around.

….

After 30 minutes, the entire group had met up back at the central area where the initial 7 friends would often gather.

"A fox!" Bill gasped at the site of fox, knowing that she was a carnivore.

"Don't worry, I won't eat you," Fox assured, "Besides, if I ate my herbivore friends, I wouldn't eaten this guy by now." She gave Rabbit a little nudge on the head, making him blush.

"Don't say a thing…" Rabbit growled to Skunk.

"We can get our explorer's badge by looking through this place," Lazlo told Raj and Clam.

"So, we heard that you have solved mysteries in the past," Doyle said to the group.

"Yeah, what for?" Fry asked.

"We're gonna need you guys to help prove our innocence," Sidney said.

….

**Bacton Hill, Pennsylvania, 1967.**

Sometimes, friends, even if both still alive, are not allowed to be together. This had never been more true than in the case of Tod and Copper. Tod was a young fox who had been raised by a kindly old human woman, but she eventually had to release him back to the wild for his safety. Copper was a hunting dog belonging to the woman's hunter neighbor.

The two friends were forced apart when they got older, but they promised each other they would never forget their bond.

However, Tod wasn't completely on his own. He had met up with a beautiful girl fox named Vixey, and the two became boyfriend and girlfriend. Though he could never fully return to the time he and Copper were young, he still had new friendships that would last his whole life.

Over time, they had made friends with other foxes in the woods. There was Vera, Vixey's rambunctious friend, Harold, a calm and mysterious hunter, Shelby, a vixen with a love of the forest around them, and Morris, the smooth fox who tried his best to get the ladies.

"What are you planning for today?" Tod asked Vixey.

"The same thing as every other day," Vixey smirked, with a gleam in her eye, "We go hunting."

The two made their way through the lush green forest. Though they knew to avoid the hunter's path, there were some human places where the people acted friendly like the old woman.

"Hey Tod, Hel-lo Vixey," Morris whistled, walking up to the couple.

"Heh, what do you want Morris?" Vixey asked.

"Have you seen Shelby?" he grinned widely, "She promised that she and I would go out today.." Morris was always one to spend time with all of the lady foxes of the forest.

"Just track her scent," Tod advised, the teenage fox being glad that Morris was not hitting on his girlfriend….again.

…..

Not too far away was a train station with a small café next to it.

"Hello Vera," Tod smiled.

"Hey you guys," Vera replied, chomping on something. Vera was practically a pet to the café owner, and she was often given free food, such as her favorite meat pastas, with the spice sprinkled on, "What's up?"

"We've been looking for Shelby," Vixey explained, "We haven't seen her for a while, I just wanted to see if she was ok."

"Then we should get going," Vera giggled, as a nearby train took off. "Man, I love watching those things roll by."

…..

Tod, Vixey, and Vera were making their way through the woods, tracking Shelby's scent.

But as they were closing in on it, something began to seem not right about the scent.

"Ugh," Tod groaned, "That doesn't smell good."

"Ech," Vera said, sniffing the air, "You're right."

When Vixey sniffed the air, her face turned from disgust to concern. "Vera, Tod….something's wrong. I smell something…something like blood…"

"Shelby probably took down a meal," Vera suggested.

Tod sniffed the air, "I doubt that. It smells like…..her blood."

The trio raced towards where their noses led them, and to their horror, they discovered what they were fearing.

There, at the bottom of a hill in a clearing, was Shelby. She was lying dead, and a puddle of blood had formed around her. There was no chance to save her.

"NO!" Vixey yelled in terror.

…

The sound of the train thundering by overhead drowned out Vixey's scream in the surrounding woods.

"This can't be…." Tod panicked, "She was murdered….there's no way this can be for real!"

Though Vixey had a gut feeling it was too late, she still checked Shelby's pulse.

"It's no good," she said regretfully, "Shelby's in a better place now."

"But who?" Vera demanded, her usual somewhat genki self went into a completely serious mode in the time of a tragedy, "Who could have killed her?"

"Maybe some prey she was hunting fought back," Tod said, "If whatever it was went for a surprise attack, it would be certainly possible."

"No, that can't be," Vixey said, the girl fox taking the lead role in the investigation, "Shelby may have been a very peaceful fox, but she wouldn't go down in a fight that easily."

"But look at this," Tod noticed, looking closely at the blood, "It isn't that widespread. If there had been a struggle, don't you think the blood would have been splattered further around?"

Vixey was seeing the direction Tod was going with his comments. "Vera, you better step back, let me and Tod take care of this."

"What are you getting at Vixey?" Vera asked, concerned.

Tod and Vixey knew that if Vera didn't figure out immediately, she would gradually realize it, so they decided to be up front with her. "Somebody had to have murdered Shelby directly," Vixey said, "And the evidence suggests that it was someone who knew her well."

"Wait…there's….you have to be kidding!" Vera said, twitching and shaking her head. "None of us would kill her!" she than ran off in denial.

"Don't leave!" Tod said, but Vera wouldn't hear it. "Darn it….she's a suspect, isn't she?"

"Actually, I don't think it was Vera," Vixey explained. She placed her paw on Shelby's, and began to do an examination. "If my estimations are correct…..the time of death is around 30 minutes ago. We were with Vera then, at the train station. Even if she ran both ways, it would not be enough time."

"So where does that leave us?" Tod asked.

"We have two more suspects to track down….our friends," Vixey admitted regretfully. "What's this stuff on her fur…looks like pollen," she noted, as the two took off.

…..

A little ways into the woods, Todd and Vixey were able to track down Morris, who was "putting on the moves" to a trio of girl foxes.

"So ladies, what say you come back to my den today?" Morris asked smoothly.

"Morris, we need to talk with you," Tod said suddenly, catching Morris off guard and briefly making him jump.

"What is it?" Morris asked, "And can you make it quick?"

"Shelby's dead," Vixey said bluntly.

"What?" Morris gasped in horror. He started to pant in fear, and the other girls left in confusion. "How did this happen?"

"Someone attacked her," Tod explained, "And from what we found out, it looks like it was someone who knew her."

"You don't think it was me?" Morris asked, being in a state where he didn't know how to react.

"Where were you half an hour ago?" Vixey asked, remaining calm.

"With those girls," Morrris pointed out, "If you need confirmation on that, ask them."

"Why didn't you meet up with Shelby?" Vixey asked suspiciously.

"Because," Morris replied, "I saw some other lovely ladies, I can't just say nothing to them…"

"Fine," Tod replied, "We'll take you off the suspects list, just don't go too far away."

"Gotcha," Morris nodded, still upset by the death, but nevertheless he returned to the gir;s.

…..

"Who else is left?" Tod asked Vixey as they proceeded through the forest. The sun was beginning to go down by this point.

"Well," Vixey remembered, "There's Harold. And, to be honest, he's the one I've always been uncertain about."

"In what way?" Tod asked.

"He seems so secluded unlike the other foxes in our forest," the girl fox explained, "And he's kinda obsessed with hunts. None of us are that hungry that frequently, part of me thinks he does it just for the hell of it."

"You think I'm a murderer?" Harold's voice asked suddenly. Tod and Vixey quickly looked around to find where Harold was. "Up here," he called, and the couple turned up to see Harold climbing across the trees.

"We're not saying that it's you," Tod assured.

"But you two are playing the roles of detectives," Harold noted, "And you are on the hunt for clues."

"How do you know that?" Vixey asked suspiciously.

"I am everywhere," Harold smirked, "I found out about Shelby's murder just after you did."

"Where were you around 45 minutes ago?" Tod asked, finding Harold to be very suspicious as well.

"I was getting some fish under the old train bridge," Harold replied, "You know they tend to pop up in that area."

"Did you have any witnesses?" Vixey asked.

"That dog friend of Tod's," Harold explained, "He covered for me."

"Copper's here?" Tod exclaimed, having not seen his childhood friend in a while, "Where is he?"

"Around the bridge, but be careful," Harold advised.

….

It didn't take too long for Tod and Vixey to encounter the dog.

"Tod, how have you been?" Copper smiled, the domestic and wild canines were happy to see each other, even though they were aware their time together would be brief.

"Just fine," Tod smiled, "But…one of me and Vixey's friends died today…"

"Oh dear," Copper frowned, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Did you master kill a fox today?" Vixey asked, "All of our possible suspects have alibis, we think perhaps a human did it."

"Sad to say, but that's not the case," Copper said, "If my owner killed a fox, he would not stop bragging about it."

Speak of the devil, and the hunter appeared. "Foxes!" he growled, pulling out his gun.

"Run, I'll pretend to hunt you down!" Copper quickly instructed.

…

As Tod and Vixey were having Copper in pursuit, they had a discussion.

"I don't get it," Tod said, "If it wasn't Harold, Morris, Vera, or the hunter, who could it be? Shelby doesn't know any other foxes that well."

"It had to be one of them," Vixey deduced, but how?"

"Look out!" Tod called suddenly, realizing they were nearing a cliff. He grabbed ahold of a tree with one paw and Vixie with the other, pulling her towards him as she nearly began to fall off. She spun around and landed safely by the tree. This was enough to get the hunter off their tails, so Copper waved goodbye.

"Tod…." Vixey panted, "I know what happened….."

"You do?" Tod gasped.

"Follow me," Vixey instructed.

….

The two returned to where the body was found. At the top of the hill right above the body, they dashed a curve in the railway and headed down to Shelby.

"What are you looking for?" Tod asked.

"This," Vixey said, looking at the "pollen" again. It was rather orange. "I know who the murderer is…."

…

Vera had gone back to the train station, it was a place she felt accepted. She saw Tod and Vixey coming back towards her. "Did you find out who did it?" she asked.

"Indeed we did," Tod nodded.

"And I'm afraid….the killer is you, Vera."

"ME?" Vera gasped, "That's a sick joke!"

"No joke, I'm afraid," Tod said in complete sincerity, "We know how you did it."

"How could I have done it?" Vera asked, "You said yourself I couldn't have done it, I was here at the time."

"That's exactly the point," Vixey said, "The murder did not occur at the field…it occurred here at the train station!"

"What?" Vera gasped, her grand scheme beginning to unwind before her.

"It wasn't too hard," Tod said, "You called Shelby over here, and killed her with your claws. You were able to clean up with the nearby water, and you carried her onto a train car."

"You knew the tracks, the owner let you hang around here," Vixey explained. "If you put Shelby's body in a way it was leaning partially out of the train car, it would eventually fall out when the train rounded a curve. I doubt you had a specific location planned, just somewhere far away enough from here so you'd have an alibi."

"That's why there wasn't any signs of a struggle," Tod continued, "Because there wasn't one. It fell there when the train took the bend. After putting her on the train, you went and joined us."

"But where's your proof that I'm a cold blooded killer?" Vera asked in one last defense.

"Don't worry, we have it," Vixey said regretfully, holding up her paw, "Look closely. We found this on the body. I thought it was some kind of pollen…but then I looked closer and realized it was the spice from that meal the human here at the station feeds you."

Vera looked at the powder in horror. Her friends had figured out her grand plan. "Fine…..I confess. I was the one who killed Shelby," she admitted.

"But why Vera?" Vixey asked, "Why would you kill her? I thought the two of you were friends."

"She took everything from me, Vera sighed, "She came into my den and basically kicked me out. I let her in as a favor to a friend, but she through that away into the wind."

Tod and Vixey could only look in shame before they decided to leave.

…

"One thing I'll never figure out," Vixey told Tod as they walked through the forest, "Is why someone could resort to murder. How could anybody make that decision?"

"We'll never know Vixey," Tod sighed, "And I think I can with confidence that I don't want to know, even if I could."

All of a sudden, Tod tripped on something. "Ow," he grunted, turning to see the source of the fall. The item Tod had tripped on was a glass.

"How'd that end up here?" Vixey asked, examining the object. As you should know by now, the two foxes began to flash rapidly.

"What's going on?" Tod said, looking over his body which quickly alternated between visible and invisible.

And, in the blink of an eye, they vanished.

…

At the junkyard, the gathering of the group had begun.

"I'm not sure how we'd be able to help you out," Fry said, "If you don't have any clues."

"We just need to prove our innocence for now," Sidney explained, "We know that none of us would ever resort to murder."

"But how do you plan for us to do that?" Aldo asked.

"We have an idea," Doyle replied with a smirk.


	6. Strife on the Highway

**The Toon Files Episode 19: Strife on the Highway**

The meeting between the initial 7 captives and the toons from the other worlds kept going.

"If Leela can get the communicator fixed," Ethan explained, "We can have you provide them with our alibis, and the proof that we weren't in the room where Leslie was killed."

"Sounds great," Lazlo smiled, "Let's hope that's soon. We have a big camp event tomorrow."

"Great," Vixey smiled sarcastically, "More murder…."

Nina meanwhile was getting bored. "We aren't getting anywhere just sitting around here," she grumbled, "I'm gonna go take a walk."

"Don't go too far," Courtney suggested.

"Whatever," Nina replied casually.

"I think we can call this meeting closed," Sidney agreed, the tigress pulling out a charm bracelet that she always treasured.

As some of the toons went to explore, Fox had a worried look on her face. "There's something that's been bothering me," she said to Skunk and Rabbit.

"What is it?" Rabbit asked.

"When we found that bracelet, we suddenly warped to this world," Fox explained, "Why did that happen? And if what the others have said is true, they experienced similar things."

….

Up above in Holbrook, Ginny and Clay were back at the police station.

"What are you looking up?" Officer McEdison asked his partner.

"The backgrounds on those seven," Ginny replied, "Maybe I can find out who the killer is by uncovering which one of them had a history of crime."

"Good thinking," Clay replied, eating a slice of steak, "By the way…the Christmas party is coming up. You got your Secret Santa decided on?"

"Yup," Officer Foyer nodded with a coy smile, turning to the records, "But I'm not leaking any other details Clay."

"Fine, fine, I wasn't expecting you to do so," Officer McEdison replied, heading out of their office to take his lunch break for the day.

Ginny would soon discover something that would change everything.

…..

**Highways outside Miami, Florida, 2004.**

The band Puffy was at the height of their success. The Japanese singing duo of Ami and Yumi were now international successes, and this week, they were on their way to a concert in Miami, a Battle of the Bands.

"This is going to be so much fun Yumi," Ami smiled, the pink haired girl was the more happy of the two.

"And more importantly, we're gonna cream all those other bands!" Yumi smirked, the blue-haired girl was the more snarky and cynical one. The two girls were petting their pet cats, Jang Keng and Tekirai.

"And taking the highway will save us plenty of cash on gas money," Kaz, the band's incredibly cheap manager chuckled.

"Whatever Kaz," Yumi replied apathetically.

"I hope we get their soon," Ami said, "All our fans will be there, I don't want to let them down."

"Don't worry Ami," Yumi assured, looking at her magazine, "There's absolutely nothing that can stop us from getting there on time."

"Don't say that!" Ami suddenly gasped.

"Why?" Yumi asked, confused.

"Haven't you ever heard of a jinx?" the peppy member of the group asked, "You'll curse us with bad luck."

"Oh come on," Yumi chuckled, "Like that will happen."

…..

5 minutes later, Kaz had to suddenly hit the brakes. The tour bus came to a sliding stop, and the girls were practically thrown forward.

"OOMPH!" They exclaimed, as they slid down the windshield.

"Kaz? What the heck was that?" Yumi demanded.

"Looks like there was a traffic accident just ahead," Kaz pointed. Ami and Yumi looked ahead, and, indeed, there was a fancy looking car that had went through the guardrail.

"Oh geez," Ami said, "I hope he's not hurt."

The traffic blockade wasn't moving, so Puffy knew there weren't going anywhere for a while.

Ami and Yumi stepped outside of the bus. A sports car had caused some big damage on the road, and they could see someone being boarded into an ambulance, though thankfully they were still alive.

"Wait a minute!" Ami realized, "I know that guy!"

"Who is he?" Yumi asked.

"That's Trench Razor of the Ten Inch Claws," Ami explained, "His band was also gonna be at the Battle of the Bands today!"

"If there's Trench," Yumi realized, "Then there has to be Rick Swagger." Indeed, just in front of the crash site was the Ten Inch Claws' bass guitar player.

"Oh crap," Rick frowned to Trench, "We're totally out of the competition now…."

"Rick," Trench called weakly, "You have to do this on your own…"

"What happened Trench?" Ami asked, running over to the ambulance.

"I was just driving….down the road," Trench recalled weakly, "When all of a sudden something…..hit me from behind, and knocked me into my steering wheel, deploying the airbag."

"Was Rick riding with you?" Ami whispered, knowing that the two lead members of the band had a recent troubled history.

"No," Trench replied, beginning to doze off, "Rick was driving right ahead of me."

"Then how could this have happened?" Yumi asked,, the skull on her t-shirt having a puzzled look.

"Look down the road," Trench advised with a yawn, "There's more of our competition here."

"What does he mean by that?" Ami asked, puzzled.

Yumi looked around and soon figured out what the metal rocker meant by that. "I think I know what we're looking for Ami," Yumi realized.

…..

"What do you mean I have to watch the cats?" Kaz asked, horrified.

"It won't be too long," Ami smiled assumingly, "We just have some people we want to talk to. Besides, the cats love you!"

Kaz frowned, he knew that he was a mere cat toy to Jang Keng and Tekirai.

"See ya soon Kaz," Yumi waved, as the band's cats smiled at the manager wickedly.

….

"So what else do you know about Ten Inch Claws?" Yumi asked Ami.

"Well, Rick is also big on fishing," Ami remembered, "He always carries a fishing rod in his vehicle wherever he goes."

"But look who we have here," Yumi smirked, the group arriving at another singer's bus, "It's Malice Hooper."

"Well, if it isn't Puffy," Malice smirked. Ms. Hooper was a throwback to the 80s in her stlye of music, "What do you want?"

"We want to know if you have any connection to Trench's car crash," Ami said accusingly, suddenly putting a bubble-blowing pipe in her mouth.

"Oh!" Malice laughed, "You have to be joking!" she said, unable to hold back hysterics. "You actually think I would need to resort to sabotage to beat that loser?"

"Well, obviously all this pizza isn't doing the trick for ya," Yumi said, having stepped on to Malice's bus.

"Get out of there!" Malice demanded quickly.

"Hey," Yumi smiled, pulling something out of a drawer, "Is this a BB gun? Sweet! I had some much fun with these when I was a kid!"

"And," Malice reminded, taking the BB gun out of Yumi's hands, "It's not yours. So scram, you brat!"

"Jerk!" Yumi frowned as Malice went back into her bus. "So did you find any answers Ami?"

"I don't think it was her," Ami admitted, "She was behind Trench's car, yeah, but look we are. She was on a road above him and to the far left side of where Trench was driving."

"Good point," Yumi nodded, "But we're not out of suspects yet."

….

The duo proceeded to return to the level of the road where the accident had occurred. But this time, they headed behind the scene of the accident.

In a limo was Kathy Terry, a local pop sensation.

"Holy crap, it's Puffy," Kathy said in a fangirl tone.

"Wow," Yumi said, caught off-guard, "So that's what she sounds like without autotune."

"Is there anything I can do for you girls?" Kathy asked hopefully.

"Do you remember where you were at the time of the car accident?" Ami asked.

"I was practicing for the Battle of the Bands," Kathy explained, "Why do you ask?"

"Because we think Trench's accident was no random accident," Yumi said bluntly, "And we know that the Ten Inch Claws were definitely going to rank high, so we think there was sabotage involved!"

"And you think I'm a crazed psychopath?" Kathy chuckled, rather politely.

"You did right that song about having a crush on aliens," Yumi pointed out, "I would have to question your sanity."

"Go ahead and search my limo," Kathy encouraged, "But I was a distance behind Trench's car when I noticed the accident."

"Look at all these posters," Yumi said, seeing several rolled up, unopened. "You're quite a fan."

"Indeed," Kathy grinned, reminding the girls of their crazy number one fan Harmony who thry tried their best to avoid.

"We'll just be going now," Yumi said, a little freaked out by the encounter.

…..

"So, I guess there was nothing we could do," Yumi commented, the skull on her shirt gaining a look of apathy.

"There's one thing we haven't done Yumi," Ami perked up, "And that's check the scenbe of the accident itself."

"Good idea," Yumi complimented her best friend.

At the scene of Trench's car, the authorities were getting ready to take it away.

"Look what we found," an officer suddenly said, "What kind of freak throws a crossbow away?"

"A crossbow?" the Japanese duo asked in confused unison. Suddenly, an idea began to hit Ami's head like a brick.

"What are you looking for?" Yumi asked.

"The proof to who the culprit is," Ami replied confidently. She looked over Trench's driver's seat. In the back of the seat, a noticeable groove was etched.

Yumi and Ami looked at it closely.

"Was something attached to that crossbow sir?" Yumi asked.

"Yes, some kind of wire," the officer nodded.

The duo smirked at each other. "We know who caused the accident!" they revealed proudly.

….

Ami and Yumi met up with Rick, as traffic was almost able to get back to moving.

"Hey duddettes," Rick smiled, "Did you find out anything big?"

"Indeed we did," Yumi nodded matter of factly.

"What we found out is that you were the one who could have killed your partner, Rick," Ami revealed.

"What?" Rick scoffed, "Don't you know me? I know Trench and I haven't had some good interactions recently, but that doesn't mean I'd send him to the hospital."

"But we know it was you," Yumi said again.

"How could I have even pulled this off?" Rick demanded to know, "Trench said he was hit from behind. How could I be behind him when I was driving in front of him."

"With the use of fishing wire," Ami revealed, "Since Trench drove around in a sports car, you did a trick. You made a loop with the wire which you put around the headrest of the driver's seat in his car."

"Then, once Trench got in the car, as long as you remained directly ahead of him, he wouldn't notice the wire," Yumi continued. "You took a crossbow and tied the wire to an arrow or some lauchable thingy, and fired."

"The force of the firing, coupled with the fire shot the back of the seat forward," Ami continued, "And that's why Trench believed the attacker came from behind. He never suspected it was his own bandmate, who also happened to be driving in front of him."

"Ludicrous!" Rick laughed, "Where's your proof I did any of this?"

"The fishing wire you typically carry, can you show us where it is?" Yumi asked slyly.

"It's….well, it's…" Rick said, trying to think of a defense.

"Can't find one, can you?" Ami asked, "The police found the crossbow as well. Once they find your fingerprints, it's all over…"

"Ok dang it," Rick frowned, "I admit it! I did it! I wanted to be big, but Trench was always hurting the band. I thought if I took him out here, I'd be able to get the spotlight all to myself!"

"That's a horrible thing to do to someone whose your friend!" Yumi called Rick out on, as the police began to tame him into custody. It wasn't typical for the cynical one to give morality speeches.

….

"Hey Ami," Yumi asked as Puffy got back to their tour bus to see Kaz running for his life from their pet cats, "No matter what, you'll never try to kill me out of jealousy, right?"

"Of course not Yumi," Ami smiled, as Jang Keng and Tekirai returned to their owners' laps and began purring peacefully, much to the confusion of Kaz, "We're best friends, and nothing will ever change that."

Yumi then noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground. "What the heck is this?" she asked, "I didn't see it here earlier."

Yumi and Ami looked it over as Kaz kept driving to the Battle of the Bands. "Is this some kind of dress code info?" Ami asked, puzzled, "The battle of the bands didn't have anything like that required."

And, as one reading this fanfic should have become accustom to by now, the pamphlet began to flash, as did the Japanese rock star duo.

"This is kinda trippy," Yumi admitted, not knowing what to think.

And, just like that, she and Ami warped to the junkyard realm.

….

Back in the junkyard, everyone was looking around.

"Ugh," Tod frowned to Vixey, "All of the meat here looks rotten."

"You're telling me," Aldo called to the foxes, "I think if I try to eat anything here, it would make me want to eat Bill."

"How do you not resist eating each other?" Bill asked Sidney.

"It's not too hard," the tigress replied, "With the proper cooking techniques, you'd be surprised what is edible."

"And back up in Holbrook," Doyle informed, "I was quite the cook. I intend to continue that job once we're free."

"GROSS!" Clam exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Sidney promised the detectives, "I can count on one thing, you aren't going to see any of us die from starvation."

"Or die, period," Doyle added.

….

Meanwhile, Fry, Rabbit, and Leela were walking through the junk hills.

"I can tell you have a crush on that fox with the unimaginative name," Leela said to Rabbit.

Rabbit's fur turned a nice shade of crimson. "No!" he insisted, "No! Absolutely not! I do not have a crush on Fox!"

"Rrriiiggghhhttt…." Fry said, even he wasn't that oblivious to love. It was then that the human from the 20th century noticed something. "We're at the car pit!" he grinned.

"Why is that so awesome?" Leela sighed, wiping sweat off if her singular brow. The heat in the area had risen recently.

"This is where Bender knocked my backup Slurm!" Fry said, "I can get it back now."

"Didn't that one guy say that there is no way to get something back from that pit unless you want to get horribly cut up?" Rabbit asked.

"Eh, I've had worse happen to me," Fry shrugged, kneeling at the cliff enough the vehicular abyss.

"This is just kind of sad," Leela had to admit.

"That's weird," Fry noticed, "It's not on the piece of metal I saw it land on earlier…."

But all of a sudden, something caught Fry's eye. Something that made him go into a nasty mixture of stuttering and shivering.

"What happened to you?" Rabbit asked, somewhat amused at first.

"T.t…ttt….that," Fry shivered, chattering his teeth while he pointed about halfway down the big central car pile.

"What? Did you see your own car in there?" Leela laughed, but she wasn't laughing after what she saw next.

There, inside one of the cars, was Nina. A knife had been embedded in her chest. She was long dead.

Fry, Leela, and Rabbit all screamed in terror.


	7. Holly Jolly Murder

**The Toon Files Episode 20: Holly Jolly Murder**

Fry, Leela, and Rabbit could only look on at what they saw in horror.

"She's dead?" Rabbit gasped, "How?"

"And how could she get in there?" Leela gasped.

"We…we have to tell the others!" Fry exclaimed, getting back on his feet.

"Yes, let's!" Rabbit nodded in agreement.

…..

As Officer Foyer was looking through the files on the 7 suspects, she heard a commotion outside. She turned and what she saw made her frown.

"Get away from my car you punks!" she growled to a teen animal gang messing around outside her squad car.

"Oh crap, let's go!" a puma panicked, the quartet taking off.

"Who knows what they did to it," Ginny sighed to herself, continuing to examine the files.

"That's weird," she said to herself, looking at one in particular, "How is that segment completely blank?"

….

**Los Angeles, California, 2011.**

It was that time of the year again, and everyone was celebrating the holidays. The Muppets were not excluding themselves from the festivities.

"Thank you all for tuning in tonight!" Kermit the frog smiled to the crowd, "We hope you watch our Christmas special tomorrow will our special guest star, Neve Campbell! YYYYAAYYY!"

"What's so special about it?" Walter asked from the balcony view.

"It lasts only a minute?" Statler suggested in response. Both old cooks chuckled at that comment.

"Oh Kermie," a voice suddenly spoke, one belonging to Miss Piggy, "It'll be great to have everyone back together again for Christmas."

"It will be Piggy, especially since Gonzo, Fozzie, and Pepe have been busy for a couple of months with that detective agency of theirs," Kermit replied.

Little did any of the Muppets know at the time, but that detective agency that a trio of them had formed was about to become really necessary….

….

Four of the members of Electric Mayhem, the main band at the Muppet Theater, were going out to the cabin they had rented outside of LA.

"Man, we get so many requests for "Jingle Bell Rock" it drives me crazy," Floyd Pepper huffed.

"Man, like, I really just want that one bracelet, they sell it in like only one store in the whole city," Janice said to a friend over her cell phone.

"We can all relax now," Dr. Teeth grinned. But the happy mood was soon shattered.

"Broken window!" Animal exclaimed, jumping up and down. Indeed, one of the bigger windows was in pieces.

"Oh geez, did somebody break in?" Janice gulped. And then a similar fear entered all the musicians' heads: their other band member, Zoot, had stayed home at the cabin! What if whoever broke in hurt him?

The Electric Mayhem members tried to drop their own fears, but when they stepped inside Zoot's room, their fears were only amplified to extreme levels. Zoot was found in his room….dead! Stuffing had leaked everywhere, his neck slit, traces of stuffing still fresh.

"Zoot no!" Dr. Teeth exclaimed, running over to his friend. But there was nothing that could be done.

"This can't be happening man…." Janice gasped.

"Zoot….he can't be…." Floyd began to tear up. There was only one thing the other band members could do now.

…..

A snowstorm had hit the main city hard, so the police couldn't make it to the cabin for several hours. Dr. Teeth however, was able to have Fozzie, Gonzo, and Pepe reach them, using their "Snowplowing Detective-mobile!"

"We let ourselves in ok," Pepe chirped up, the king prawn appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh man," Gonzo frowned, looking at Zoot, "Somebody really did a number on him."

"We want you to find out who did it," Floyd said.

"Well, if my coroner skills taught by "Deducting for Dummies" is correct," Fozzie explained, "I put the time of death around two hours ago."

"If only…." Janice began to tear up, "We weren't at the city at the time, dude, if one of us had been here with him, maybe Zoot wouldn't have been dead now."

"Animal sad…" Animal sighed, placing his paw on Janice's shoulder.

"Something's not right though…." Gonzo suddenly spoke up. "Look at this room, though stuffing from Zoot has gone everywhere, the room seems intact. No signs of a struggle?"

"So what?" Dr. Teeth questioned, confused.

"What's he getting at ok," Pepe smirked, "Is that maybe there wasn't a struggle because…..whoever killed Zoot was someone he knew, ok?"

"WHAT?" Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Janice, and Animal yelled.

"You can't be serious," Floyd scoffed, "Why would any of us kill Zoot?"

"Didn't do it!" Animal yelled, biting his chains.

"And besides," Dr. Teeth added, "None of us could have killed Zoot, we were all in LA at the time of the crime?"

"Can you prove that?" Gonzo replied, "Or will we find out that one of you musicians….." he put on his sunglasses, "..played your last note?"

"YYYYAAAAHHHH!" Fozzie yelled. "You stepped on my foot…"

…..

The 3 detectives and 4 surviving Electric Mayhem members were driving back to Los Angeles.

"You couldn't have gotten a bigger car?" Janice groaned, pressed against Dr. Teeth.

"Hey, our budget is not that big ok," Pepe retorted.

…

It turns out that all 4 of the other band members had been in different places all throughout the city. The Muppet Detective Agency decided to stop by each location, one by one.

Dr. Teeth was doing a one-man show at the USC campus. "For charity, this is the season," he told Gonzo, Fozzie, and Pepe.

"The auto-tuned version sounded better," one student who had been in the crowd commented.

"You know that's not true," Floyd called back to the heckler.

"Hey, was Dr. Teeth always visible to the crowd?" Gonzo asked the student.

"Yeah, for the most part," the student responded.

"The most part?" Fozzie asked, confused.

"Yeah, he did leave for like 30 minutes," the student explained, "At around 1."

"I just wanted to grab a bite to eat, but no one directed my to the cafeteria," Dr. Teeth explained, "I had to look around."

"1 PM eh?" Pepe smirked, "That's around the time Zoot died."

"Hey, detectives, lest you forget…." Dr. Teeth retorted, "Zoot was found dead in our cabin, and it would take more than a half hour to drive to the cabin and back from here! My alibi's solid."

"Fine," Gonzo nodded, "We'll move onto the next suspect." The rest of the detectives and the band members started up at the falling snow, the usually pretty sight giving them bittersweet memories.

…

The next suspect the trio decided to investigate was Floyd. Floyd claimed at the time of the crime, he was getting himself a big lunch at a sports bar and grill.

"Oh yeah, he was here," the restaurant's manager nodded, ordering his employees to put up more fake plastic mini Christmas trees.

"I ordered a burger, is that a crime?" Floyd asked.

"But he did leave for 10 minutes at around 12:55," the manager recalled.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air," Floyd explained.

At this moment and spot, a noise was beginning to drive Pepe and Gonzo crazy. "What can't I stop here "We Need a Little Christmas" in my head?" Pepe groaned.

"Look across the street," Gonzo pointed to a big mall, with big clothing, jewelry, and sporting goods stores, where the song was playing across a seemingly never-ending line of loudspeakers. "It seems the room with the music player got caved in, now this won't stop playing."

"At least people don't react to my jokes this harshly," Fozzie noted, the bear trying to make a bad joke.

"If you're gonna investigate anybody," Rizzo the rat suddenly spoke up, "You should try to find this guy in black who was lurking around."

"What are you talking about Rizzo?" Gonzo asked.

"I saw some guy out the window completely dressed in black, looking like he was trying to hide his face, walk around."

"That's probably not connected to our case ok," Pepe added.

"Oh, could you give this to Floyd?" the manager asked, holding a special commemorative plate, "He forgot to put this one in his backpack when he left."

"I'll get it to him dude," Janice assured.

…

Janice was the third suspect who would be investigated. At around the time of the crime, she had stopped by a spa for a sauna session.

"Man this building in warm," Floyd gasped, sweating profusely in his heavy winter coat.

"It is good for the pores though," Dr. Teeth commented as they went up to the receptionist.

"You got that right man," Janice smiled, "She'll be able to confirm I was here."

"Oh, hello again Janice," the receptionist waved, "You back for another appointment already?"

"Actually, our friend Janice here is a suspect in a murder!" Gonzo announced ominously, while Pepe and Fozzie made "ominous" sounds.

"That's ridiculous," the receptionist laughed, "The only exit to the building is the front door, and I was sitting here the whole time."

"Take us to the sauna you were in," Pepe told Janice, "Because maybe you had a hidden escape route, ok?"

"Janice didn't do it!" Animal growled, defending his friend.

Janice had ordered a private sauna room. One thing that everyone who had entered the chamber found odd was the temperature. Despite being the room where it logically should be more hot and humid than the rest of the building, it felt rather cool.

"I was resting here for like half an hour man," Janice said.

"Check this out ok," Pepe told his fellow private eyes, "I see some loose floorboards."

"Hmm….wokka what's this?" Fozzie said, in a failed attempt at making a catchphrase.

"But that's too small of a hole for even a Muppet to fit out," Gonzo noted.

"Can't you say suspecting us is proving to be futile?" Dr. Teeth frowned, "We all loved Zoot, none of us would ever kill him, and besides, our alibis are rock solid!"

But there was still one possible band member left: Animal.

…

Surprisingly, Animal had been at a local church singing in the choir for a Christmas pageant. And even more surprisingly, his performance had gotten rave reviews.

"He has a voice like an angel," the choir director complimented.

"Ok…that defies all laws of reality, physics, and psychology," Gonzo commented, mouth agape in disbelief. "But, more importantly, was Animal ever not visible to the audience?"

"Well, at the beginning the choir is not performing in any of the songs, so he could've been anywhere for a 20-minute period," the director explained.

"20 minutes…..that isn't enough time to get to their cabin and back," Fozzie noted, "Even if you driving at limit breaking speeds."

"I didn't do it! Innocent!" Animal growled, Dr. Teeth and Floyd having to restrain him by the chains to prevent him from pouncing on the detective Muppets.

"Can you please stop suspecting us?" Floyd asked, "We have to tell Kermit that the Christmas special has someone it will dedicated to the memory of."

"Yeah, we already feel bad enough man," Janice huffed.

Pepe, Gonzo, and Fozzie sighed. "Fine, you can go," Gonzo said, "We'll try to find evidence pointing to who the real villain is back at your cabin."

"Let's go guys," Dr. Teeth told the surviving members of Electric Mayhem, and he, Janice, Floyd, and Animal departed in their band's bus.

"You still think it was one of them Gonzo?" Fozzie asked his friend, and he could tell be the weird….thing's face what the answer to that question was.

….

Back at the cabin outside of the city, the trio kept their search for clues.

"Hola, what do we have here?" Pepe smirked, presenting a video camera he had found. They reviewed the most recent tape, it was the band at the cabin the night before Zoot was found dead trying to make Christmas cookies.

It was rather amusing, a contrast from the discovery the next day. Janice got a bowl of dough poured on here by Animal, Zoot had a bit of a panic attack when he accidentally cut his finger, letting out some stuffing, but by his reaction you'd think he was being cut in half. And Dr. Teeth nearly broke a tooth when he bit a cookie that had been over baked.

"Something's odd about that tape…." Fozzie said, getting a weird feeling.

Gonzo was looking back at the body. "No struggle…." He reminded himself, "Yet why is his stuffing all over the room?"

A closer examination of the body revealed another odd detail: Puppet rigor mortis had already set in, yet he could tell that earlier, Zoot's body had been bent at the legs, almost like he had been folded.

Fozzie and Pepe came into the room. "I checked the broken window," the bear explained, "I can tell the culprit hit in with their bare felt, yet I can't find one trace of a fingerprint."

"Maybe he was talking with someone at the time of his death ok?" Pepe suggested, finding Zoot's cell phone in his pocket. But no luck, they saw that the phone had been turned off for several hours.

"Why would he want his phone off?" Gonzo wondered, fiddling around in the victim's pocket until something else fell out: a bracelet.

The three detectives stared at what had just dropped to the floor. Slowly but surely, a theory was entering all their heads.

"Guys….I think I know what happened!" Gonzo grinned triumphantly. "We have to get to the theater, and fast!"

…..

At the theater, the Muppet Show Holiday Special (with special guest Neve Campbell) had gone underway, and Dr. Teeth had informed Kermit about what happened to Zoot. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Bunsen, Beaker, and the rest were saddened by the news, but they knew Zoot would have wanted the show to go on.

Dr. Teeth was given the microphone, "You know, when I think of all the times myself and my friends shared with Zoot, we….."

"Hold it right there!" Gonzo spoke up suddenly, the trio of detectives appearing, stage left.

"We hate to end your speech so early doc, but there's something we want to say," Fozzie added.

"We know who did it, ok?" Pepe revealed in a dramatic tone, pausing for a gasp from the audience.

"Who killed our friend, man?" Janice demanded.

The three all pointed their hands/paws in one direction…and that direction was towards Floyd!

"Are you guys kidding?" Floyd scoffed, "How could I have possibly offed Zoot? I was in the city while Zoot was at our cabin."

"That would be true…IF Zoot was really at the cabin," Fozzie replied.

"What?" Everyone gasped again.

"Zoot was in the middle of LA, right across the street of that sports bar you were at. He was shopping at the mall using a disguise," Gonzo explained.

"Why he do that?" Animal asked.

"To buy this," Pepe said, tossing the bracelet to Janice. "He must have wanted to surprise you by buying this and giving it to you as a present."

"Zoot was the mysterious person wearing black Rizzo told us about," Gonzo added, "He didn't want to be recognized so his surprise wouldn't have been given away. That's why his phone was turned off, that store couldn't stop the music playing. If anyone called, they would hear the music and his location would have been given away."

"Floyd left the restaurant for a few minutes, killed Zoot, then stuffed the body in his backpack," Fozzie spoke up next, "That's why there were signs that his legs had been bent."

"Where's your proof?" Floyd demanded to know, "You've got no case on me, man!"

"Take your jacket off, ok," Pepe stated coldly. Floyd started to, but suddenly froze.

"What's wrong man?" Janice asked Floyd. "Don't tell us…."

"He can't take off his jacket because if he did, we would see his bandaged elbow!" Gonzo revealed. "You know, I couldn't figure out why you didn't take off your jacket in that hot sauna. But then I realized, you couldn't because it would give away the wound on your elbow, which is what you used to smash the window."

"And for the stuffing we found on the crime scene, some of that was from the other night when Zoot accidentally cut himself," Pepe concluded. "You grabbed it and held onto it, but you gave yourself away, ok."

Floyd huffed, clearly defeated. "That silent jerk cheated Lips out of his dream in life.

"Lips?" Kermit asked, confused.

"You mean that new guy we hired for a short time a few years ago?" Dr. Teeth commented.

"Exactly the one," Floyd nodded, "He just wanted to become a great musician, and that jazz festival a few years ago would have been his opportunity to prove himself. But Zoot couldn't stand to see his title go away, so he framed Lips on a drug charge!"

"How do you know that?" Janice asked, shocked by the revelation.

"Zoot told me one night he got plastered at a bar…" Floyd growled, "And now you 3 have ruined everything!" he growled towards the detectives.

Suddenly, the distressed guitar player pulled a knife and charged towards Fozzie, Gonzo, and Pepe and before he was able to harm any of them, someone suddenly grabbed him and knocked him down with a judo flip!

"You were really going to try that?" Neve Campbell scoffed, the actress proving once again how awesome she was.

"If there's a cop in the house, please book him," Pepe called to the audience.

Kermit, Miss Piggy, the detectives, and the rest of the muppets stared out a big window at a Christmas tree gleaming with lights. The sight now left a dark impression in their memories, making the best time of the year a melancholy one.

….

Gonzo, Fozzie, and Pepe were walking backstage after the tragedy.

"I can't believe this had to happen," Gonzo sighed.

"I can't even make jokes about this," Fozzie nodded.

"Ow!" Pepe exclaimed, lifting his foot up.

"What happened?" Gonzo asked.

"I stepped on something sharp, ok?" the prawn replied.

And then, as they began picking the tiny, cut up blades out of Pepe's feet, the trio began to flicker.

"What is this?" Pepe demanded to know.

"This definitely isn't funny!" Fozzie gasped as the three of them vanished.

…

"You know, when they said we'd be a junkyard band, this is NOT what I had in mind," Yumi said, looking over her and Ami's new surroundings.

"We can explain all of this," Ethan said, the rabbit, as well as Courtney, Hartwell, and Mallick had been wandering for a bit.

"We could get our junkyard badges," Lazlo suggested.

Just then, Leela, Fry, and Rabbit came running up to the group, panting like crazy.

"Why Rabbit," Skunk teased, "Did ya see a ghost or something?"

"Not….exactly squirt," Rabbit panted, "We…we….we found Nina dead!"

"WHAT?" Sidney, Courtney, Ethan, Hartwell, Doyle, and Mallick all gasped.

"I'm sorry, but it's true…" Leela admitted regretfully.

The group followed the three who discovered the body, not wanting to accept the tragic truth staring them in the face.


	8. Bite of the Card Shark

**The Toon Files Episode 21: Bite of the Card Shark**

"WHERE IS SHE?" Courtney demanded to Fry, Leela, and Rabbit as they ran across the junkyard realm. Broken appliances, and tossed away food labeled their path.

"She was in that car pit," Fry panted.

"This is not what I expected when I was told there was murder," Bender said to Gonzo and Pepe.

"This is totally messed up, ok," Pepe replied.

Eventually, the big group made it back to the mountain of destroyed cars.

"Down there," Rabbit pointed, catching his breath. The remaining 6 of the friends looked down, and their fears were only confirmed.

"Dear lord…Nina," Mallick gasped, falling to her knees.

"Damn it," Sidney said, beginning to tear up, slamming her paw onto the ground.

"This…this is awful," Hartwell said, not wanting to look at the body a short distance in front him.

"Someone…needs to get her out of there," Doyle cried.

"But how?" Fry said, "You said that will hurt anyone who tries to go down there."

"I'll do it!" Gonzo volunteered almost too enthusiastically.

"Creepy," Bill whispered to Aldo.

….

Up in Holbrook, Officer Foyer was taking her lunch at a local burger joint. She had sent a text to a hospital about some information that came up rather vague.

"They make the best burgers here," Ginny smiled, the gorilla devouring them like tiny pieces of candy.

"Here's your third burger…" the waiter said, handing it to Ginny.

"Thank you," Ginny smiled, "I would make this my last meal if I could."

It was at that moment that the reply to Ginny's initial text had arrived.

"Hmmmm…." She said to herself, "I wonder what they found out?" She began to look through the message.

And then, he face turned to a look of horror. "Oh my God…." She gasped, running out to her squad car.

She quickly picked up her transceiver. "McEdison!" she cried quickly.

"What is it?" Clay asked.

"We have to get to the junkyard!" Officer Foyer gasped, "I know who…" suddenly, her transceiver went dead.

"Damn it," she grunted, realizing the damage the teens from earlier cause. She turned her car on and raced to the entrance to the junkyard prison.

….

**San Francisco, California, 1999.**

There are many games we play in our lives. For Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler, there was one specific game that was important to them: Duel Monsters. The children's battle trading card game was the key to saving the world several times.

However, an even more important component was the Pharaoh Atem, who used to reside in the Millennium Puzzle, an old Egyptian artifact Yugi used to wear. With it, Atem would often inhabit Yugi's body and play the game to save the world from the threat of the Shadow Games.

But around a year ago, after defeating the darkness of the past, Atem's spirit was finally able to rest and now Yugi just had his regular friends beside him.

"It's so cool we got invited to Industrial Illusions Headquarters again Yuge," Joey smiled.

"Yeah," Yugi nodded, "Pegasus said he was going to unveil a new type of monster card."

"Is all you two think about is cards?" Tea Gardener chuckled. Tristan Taylor was also on the trip.

"It's a great game," Joey retorted.

…..

Maximillian Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, had a grand party planned at his company's headquarters. Some of the best duelists in the world were invited.

"So we meet again," a nasally voice chuckled as Yugi and friends entered the headquarters. It belonged to Weevil Underwood.

"Oh great, you were invited bug boy," Joey frowned.

"As was I," said Rex Raptor, the dinosaur duelist. "We're hoping to get a copy of those new cards and crush you with them."

"In your dreams, short for brains," taunted a feminine voice. It belonged to Mai Valentine, who was a good friend of Joey's.

"Great to see you back Mai," Joey smiled.

"Same here Joey," Mai nodded, applying some perfume, "Though knowing you, you're probably looking at that buffet right behind me."

Yugi and the others turned to see what Ms. Valentine was talking about. Indeed, a buffet one could only dream about was right behind her.

"It's nice to see you again Mai, really," Yugi promised as Joey and Tristan ran over to grab some grub.

"I need more female friends," Tea sighed, embarrassed.

…..

A few hours later, it was time for the big unveiling.

"Mako Tsunami?" Yugi smiled, seeing the fisherman duelist among the crowd.

"It's an honor to meet again Yugi," Mako bowed, eating some seafood.

At this moment, the lights dimmed and Pegasus stepped on stage. "Greetings duelists," the creator called, catching everyone's attention, "You know why you have been invited to this celebration, to see the unveiling of a whole new breed of Duel Monster!"

And then it happened. All of a sudden, smoke began to fill the room.

"Ack!" Yugi coughed, "What's all this?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it's a barbeque!" Tristan called.

"Everyone just keep calm," Pegasus advised the party attendees, still standing on the platform, "This should all be fixed shortly."

It took a few minutes for the smoke to clear, and some of the guests had even briefly got lost.

"Mr. Pegasus sir," one of the security guards said, running up to him, "The new card is missing!"

"What?" Pegasus exclaimed, "Seal off the building, the thief could not have gotten far."

"Call 911 Tea," Yugi advised.

"I'm on it," Tea nodded, when suddenly she stopped. "That's weird, my phone's not working no for some reason."

…

The Industrial Illusions security system was quickly activated. Metal gates covered the front doors.

"This will be only temporary," Pegasus informed the party, "Until we can identify the thief."

"Let's go check out the scene of the crime, Yuge," Joey smiled.

"Oh great," Tea frowned, "Now they're playing detective."

Yugi and Joey walked down the hallway and soon found a room with a display box.

"Was that the card?" Joey asked in disbelief, "That's just a Witty Phantom card."

"That's what the thief must have used to taunt us," Pegasus corrected, "Whenever he or she swiped the new monster, they must have left it in its place."

"What kind of security did you have for this room?" Yugi asked the creator of his favorite card game.

"Sensor lasers," Pegasus informed, "That would sound an alarm if tripped. That box was also rigged with a weight sensor that would go off if the weight placed on that platform went away."

"So the thief must've disabled the devices or smashed them," Yugi deduced.

"Do you have any idea who was the dirty robber?" Joey asked Pegasus.

"Well, Joseph, I think I am able to narrow down the field in that category," the former owner of the Millennium Eye informed, "My staff members are for the most part not duelists themselves, so I'm taking them off the suspect list."

"So whatcha saying is….you think it was a duelist?" the teen with the Brooklyn accent asked.

"Precisely," Pegasus nodded, "I only hold special unveilings for what are sure to be the next greatest Duel Monsters cards. I wouldn't be surprised if someone got greedy for a rare treasure."

As the three talked, Pegasus' security staff prevented any others from entering the room.

"Got greedy eh?" Yugi smirked, "Then I have a good idea who may be behind this."

….

A room in the building mainly used as an employee break room now had been converted into an interrogation room.

Yugi and Joey were pacing back and forth, looking at Weevil, who had been seated in a chair. The insect duelist was looking very scared and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"I swear to you!" Weevil begged pathetically, "I didn't steal any card!"

"Don't give us that trash bug boy," Joey said, "We know you've stolen cards before. We know you to play more dirty than any other duelist we've met."

"I beg of you!" Weevil said, "I don't want to go to jail! I didn't do this!"

Yugi was being the good cop in his and Joey's "Good Cop, Bad Cop" routine. "Well, tell us this much Weevil, did you see anything weird around the time the room filled up with smoke?"

"Well," Weevil recalled, tapping on his duel disk, "I could have sworn I had heard something bounce along the ground, but that's it. I swear!"

Joey turned to Yugi. "If it wasn't Weevil," he figured, "The next most likely suspect is…."

…..

Rex Raptor had been brought into the impromptu interrogation room next. The dinosaur duelist was in just as miserable a state of mind as Weevil was.

"You have to believe me," Rex begged, "I would never steal a Duel Monsters card. You know me better than that."

"We DO know you," Joey nodded, "And we remember how ya sided with Dartz that one time just because you wanted revenge on my and Yugi."

"Come on," Rex smiled nervously, "I know better than to get revenge now. Besides, last time I tried that I lost my soul…."

"To be fair," Yugi said, wanting to see the good in people more than some of his friends, "Rex never did anything straight up malicious to us, so maybe we can hear him out."

"Fine Yuge," Joey sighed.

"So Rex," Yugi said, stepping forward, "Did you notice anything weird when that party pretty much went to heck?"

Rex did his best to recall what he could. "If I remember right," the prehistoric trading card player remembered, "I was looking towards the hallway where Pegasus had the card stored."

"Do you remember anyone running down the hall?" Joey asked.

"No, that's the funny thing," Rex admitted, "I don't."

Yugi turned to Joey. Their two prime suspects hadn't been able to provide them with much information. "Let's head back out Joey," Yugi advised, "That way, we can search for clues directly."

….

Back in the main Party hall, the sealed gates were still in effect.

"Mr. Pegasus!" one of the security guards at the company called, running up to his boss, "We found this in the hallway." He held up two metal fragments.

"Hey, I know what that is!" Joey said, running over, "I saw some of this back at home."

"What is it Joey?" Yugi asked.

"It's a piece of a smoke grenade," Joey explained, "I used to use these back when I was more of a street punk."

"Are they both smoke grenades?" Yugi questioned.

"Nah, I don't think so," Joey replied, "This other one, it looks far more fancier. I don't know what it came from."

"At least my cell phone is working again," Tea spoke up, "For a little while after the party got crashed it stopped working."

"Do you think it was just bad reception?" Mai asked Tea.

"No, I don't think so," Tea replied to the duelist who loved using Harpie Lady cards.

…..

Yugi and Joey returned to the scene of the crime. "I don't get it Joey," Yugi admitted, "If the culprit had already disabled the security systems, why did they wait till the party to steal the card?"

"I don't get it either, Yuge," Joey had to nod in agreement. The two boys were the best of friends and always had each other's backs. Their mutual support was often the key to their victories in duels.

But solving a mystery was a completely different type of game for them. It wasn't one that could be won with cards.

"I hope we can find a clue soon…" Yugi sighed, when he took in a good sniff. He suddenly froze. What he was smelling smelt familiar.

"Hey," Yugi called to one of the security guards, "Did you always have someone guarding this room?"

"No, not always," the guard said, "Once you made that interrogation room most of us went to the other parts of the building to look for the card, Mr. Moto."

A big grinned appeared on the face of the teen with the ludicrous hair.

"What is it Yuge?" Joey asked.

"I know who the Duel Monsters thief is!" he reported happily.

…..

Back in the main part of the headquarters, Mai and Mako were talking with Tea and Tristan.

"I earned another Legendary Fisherman card from my father," Mako smiled.

"Hey Mai," Joey said.

"Yes Joey?" Mai smiled.

"Can we talk to you in private?" Yugi asked.

"Sure," Mai nodded, falling them into a hallway. "What do you boys want?"

"To know where you hid the card," Yugi said flatly, "We know you are the thief, Mai."

"Me?" Mai chuckled cutely, "That's even crazier than your dueling strategies, Joey."

"It's not crazy Mai," Joey said, "We know how you did it. It was a trick that was a little but nuts."

"What the guards found," Yugi began to reveal, "They were both grenades. One indeed was a smoke grenade….but the other was a chaff grenade. A grenade used to disable electronics."

"You used the chaff grenade earlier to get to the card," Joey continued, "And you used one again during the party so the guards couldn't discover your trick. That's why Tea's phone didn't work."

"Mai, that Witty Phantom card wasn't put in place of the new one, is was glued to the new one!" Yugi explained, "You tricked them into thinking the card had been stolen, when it never left the room. Once you knew the guards had left, you went back and stole the card for real this time."

"That's…amusing boys," Mai smirked, "Believe me, it's truly amusing. But do you have any proof that I stole Pegasus's new card?"

"I can tell the scent of a thief," Yugi replied with a smirk, "And in this case, that smell was perfume. YOUR perfume. I could smell it in the room where the card was taken, even though the cards said they didn't allow anyone else in there."

Mai sighed, reaching into her pocket. "You two surprised me," Mai smiled, pulling the card out of her pocket, "I never pictured you as a detective Joey."

"But why Mai?" Joey asked.

"I wasn't even going to use it," Mai explained, "I just wanted to get a good look at its stats, because Pegasus never reveals those things."

"Well, we should talk to Pegasus," Yugi said, taking the card. It was called "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman."

"I doubt this will get played that frequently," he figured. He knew Pegasus would be forgiving if Mai turned herself in.

….

Later that evening, Yugi and his friends were able to resume enjoying the party.

"More pizza!" Joey and Tristan grinned, chowing several slices down, as Tea looked on in humiliation.

Later, Yugi and Joey were sitting on a couch, discussing the day. "Elemental heroes? What's next, motorcycle based cards?" Joey laughed.

Yugi felt something odd. He reached into the gaps between the seats and pulled out rags.

"Huh?" he said confused, "What are torn clothes doing here? They look like they were slashed with a knife."

And then, surprise surprise, Yugi and Joey began to flash.

"Yuge, what's going on?" Joey asked, beginning to freak out.

"I don't know Joey!" the King of Games said as they both vanished into a light, somewhat similar to when a Duel Monster gets destroyed in battle.

….

Back in Holbrook, Ginny arrived at the entrance to the junkyard prison. There were actually two ways down, both elevators.

One elevator was used for emergencies and could be accessed without any special requirements. The other was the official one used for transporting prisoners, and required three special keys.

"I hope I'm not too late," Ginny gasped, climbing onto the emergency elevator, "They're in danger….."


	9. The Pagoda of Peril

**The Toon Files Episode 22: The Pagoda of Peril**

Gonzo, being able to put up with (and enjoy) pain, was able to retrieve Nina's body from the car pile. "That stung," the whatever admitted. It was still not clear to anyone what Gonzo's species was.

Sidney placed her paw on Nina, with the slightest hope in her heart that she could still be alive, but to no avail.

"We have a problem here," Fox spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Doyle asked, choking back tears.

"This place is a prison, right?" Fox pointed out.

"A prison?" Joey asked, he and Yugi catching up with the group.

"I see where you're going," Ami and Lazlo both said, "And we know pretty much everyone who was here."

"I hate to say it," Rabbit said, not being the type to spare other's feelings, "That the killer is one of you 6."

Mallick, Doyle, Hartwell, Sidney, Courtney, and Ethan were all offended.

"How dare you?" Courtney frowned.

"We're friends!" Hartwell insisted, "None of us would….ever….kill one of us!"

"Come on," Rabbit said accusingly, "Don't tell me you aren't thinking it. The rest of us just got here, we wouldn't have any reason to kill Nina. It had to be one of you."

"Rabbit, that's enough," Skunk frowned.

Rabbit's accusations were enough to make the other 6 storm off in anger, in separate directions because they were all flustered in different ways.

….

The elevator ride down was proving to be longer than Ginny anticipated.

"Come on, come on, hurry up," Officer Foyer frowned to the elevator, "They may all be dead. How did that one manage to hide their records? They may all be dead now…."

The gorilla took her gun out of her holster and loaded it. She knew that one of them down there was far more dangerous than he or she appeared to be.

"Don't let me be too late," she begged the spirits.

…

**The Valley of Peace, China, 1254.**

Things had been going great for Po the panda. After defeating Tai Lung, the Dragon Warrior had been sworn in as a kung fu master, and he fought alongside the Furious Five, as well as a reformed Tai Lung.

"Where are we going today?" Po asked Tigress, Viper, Mantis, Crane, Monkey, Master Shifu the red panda, and Tai Lung the snow leopard.

"To an old acquaintance of mine, Po," Shifu explained, "Shei-Hu. He is getting married fairly soon, and I received an invitation."

"So we're here for the pre-ceremony party," Monkey grinned.

The 8 travellers soon found themselves approaching a 5-story pagoda.

"Didn't visit here while I was a cub," Tai Lung stated.

As they approached the structure, Po noticed a rock with a hole in it. "Is that a fountain?" he asked Shifu excitedly.

"Yes Po," Shifu nodded, "A sacred fountain. Don't touch it…" he instructed, stopping Po just in time.

Emerging from the front door was Shei-Hu, a cheetah. "Greetings Shifu," Shei-Hi smiled to his old friend, "Seriously, come in, it's getting cold out."

…

An hour later, the entire group had gathered in the pagoda's dining room on the first floor.

"You've met my sister Mei," Shei-Hu smiled, the girl cheetah bowing respectfully. She was applying her special blend of lipstick to herself. "Just made this today," she smiled.

"My bride to be, Ling," he continued, as Ling settled next to him. She had knitted a new pair of gloves recently.

"My nephew Zhu, and my good friend Wujing," he concluded, "Zhu's father, my brother Baije is out of town, probably drinking right now."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Ling smiled, nuzzling her husband to be.

"This is the best….celebration," Wujing chuckled, visibly drunk from how much he had drank at dinner.

"I think it's time you take a rest Wujing," Viper advised.

"That can't be good for his health," Mantis nodded.

"I think it's all time you get to explore my humble home," Shei-Hu offered, "Ling, you'll take care of the dishes?"

"Yes, my honorable husband," Ling bowed.

….

For the group, the next hour or so went by perfectly normally.

Tai Lung, Tigress, and the other members of the Furious Five were playing a game in the lounge, Shifu was reading in the third floor book room, while Po was trying out some moves Tai Lung had taught him since Shifu's adopted son went good.

"Alright, time for the nerve strike," Po told himself, "Must have complete concentration…"

Suddenly, from one of the upper floors, Po heard a thump. "What was that?" he asked.

"AGGHHHH!" Zhu screamed, the teen cheetah running downstairs.

"What is it, honorable nephew?" Shei-Hu asked.

"It's Wujing….he's….he's been hung!" Zhu exclaimed, making everyone gasp.

The group ran up to Wujing's room, which was on the highest floor of the pagoda. "The door's locked!" Ling said.

"Leave it to us," Tigress said, kicking in the door. When they did, there was no one inside. "Where is he?" Tigress asked.

"Look outside!" Zhu panicked. The others looked out and the window, and, indeed, to their horror, there was Wujing, a noose around his neck, hanging to the edge of the pagoda!

"AHHHHH!" Mei and Ling screamed in horror.

….

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Shifu said to Shei-Hu.

"We'll have to delay the wedding now," the cheetah nodded, "We'll need to inform Wujing's family about this suicide."

"How are you so sure it's a suicide?" Viper asked, looking at the body which had been brought into the room.

"Why do you ask that?" Ling asked.

"Did this guy really seem like the type to commit suicide?" Crane brought up, "He was having the time of his life back at dinner."

"He did make plans with me after my wedding," Shei-Hu nodded.

"Then," Tai Lung spoke up, "Logic dictates that one of you is a murderer!"

"How could that be possible?" Zhu asked, "Wujing's room was locked from the inside!"

"Where were you all for the past 20 minutes?" Tigress asked.

"I was in my room," Zhu said, the youngest suspect giving his alibi first, "I was meditating when all of a sudden I heard a thump. I looked out my window and I saw him swaying from above."

"What about you, Mei?" Po asked. He had heard of kung fu masters who also were detectives in their spare time, so the Dragon Warrior was eager to participate.

"I was outside, tending to the garden," Shei-Hu's sister replied.

"I could see her out there," Crane nodded.

"Could we go and check that out?" Po asked.

"Certainly," Mei nodded.

…

Outside the pagoda, Po wanted to sneak a glance at the sacred fountain. While the others were inspecting the garden to prove Mei's alibi, he snuck away from the group.

"So cool," he awed, having to lean forward to get a look at the pond of water inside the rock.

"PO!" Shifu called.

Po, caught off guard, lifted his head up, bumping it against the top of the rock.

"Am I bleeding?" he asked, seeing a red mark.

"No," Shifu frowned. "Get over here!"

"Ok Po, don't screw yourself over further for this," he said, leaning against the rock, only to get briefly stuck to it. He detached himself to rejoin the investigation.

"These flowers are still wet," Viper noticed, "She would've have to have been here for 20 minutes to get these all watered properly."

"And if she went all the way up to the top floor, we would've noticed," Tai Lung nodded.

"So who will we investigate next Master Shifu?" Po asked.

The red panda simply turned to Ling.

….

"I can assure you I did not murder my future husband's friend," Ling promised, as they went back into the pagoda's kitchen.

"What were you doing after the dinner feast?" Tigress questioned the girl cheetah.

"Why, I was busy cleaning up the dishes when I heard a knock at the door," Ling explained. "It was some rabbits from the local tea shop delivering us a batch of flavor packets."

"Can they testify to seeing you?" Tigress questioned.

"Yes, they can," Ling nodded, "In fact, they were going down the hill back to the village just before Zhu screamed."

"That's convenient," Po commented, "You had witnesses at the exact moment that Zhu discovered the body?"

"Now, wait just a minute," Shei-Hu said, coming to his bride-to-be's defense, "I know Ling better than anyone else. I know that she is incapable of murder. Right darling?"

"Yes, honorable husband," Ling smiled, "As I heard the tea sellers roll down the hill with their big cart very fast, that's when Zhu screamed."

"Well, that leaves us with one possible suspect," Crane commented.

Shifu soon realized what the flying member of his students was referring to. "You can't possibly mean…."

…

"Don't worry old friend," Shei-Hu promised the red panda, "I'm not upset with you, or your students for that matter. I'll just let them play their detective game and let them realize how foolish it is."

"Where were you at the time of death?" Tigress asked.

"In my room, preparing the bed for Ling and I," Shei-Hu explained. "It was across the hall from Wujing's guest room."

Tigress hmmmmmed. The old cheetah looked like the prime suspect.

…..

Tai Lung found Po in Wujing's room, examining the body. "Something on your mind, big guy?" the snow leopard asked.

"A few things Tai Lung," Po nodded, "Like first: There's the fact this room was locked from the inside. Then, there's the fact that everyone in the pagoda has an alibi. And lastly, there's this."

"There's what?" Tai Lung asked, confused.

"Look at Wujing's head," the big fat panda pointed, "Look at the blood. It's like he got hit very hard before he died. But why would they bother with that? He was clearly plastered, I doubt the killer was worried about there being a struggle."

"We'll figure this out Po," Tai Lung assured, "Though we can't just ascend to a conclusion."

"Good point…" Po figured, when he suddenly started to realize something. He went back into fan boy mode. "Tai Lung! You're a genius!" he said, shaking the snow leopard's paw.

Tai Lung was confused, but managed to let in some smugness. "Of course I am. But what makes you say that?"

"I know who the killer is!" Po announced happily, "But we're gonna need to get some other people here first."

….

Po raced down to the village where the delivery cart had gone back to.

"Can I ask you a question?" the Dragon Warrior panted to the shop owner.

"Um, sure," the rabbit replied, confused at who Po was, "What do you want to know?"

"Was there anything weird about the cart you took up to the cheetah's pagoda?" Po asked.

"Well, to be honest, there was a bit of rope attached to the end, and the boys I sent claimed the cart stopped for a second…"

Po grinned, his theory was confirmed.

….

"I guess we'll be returning to the Jade Palace," Shifu told his friend, "Once again, I'm sorry about your loss."

"Not yet Master Shifu," Po smiled. Tai Lung had informed Tigress about Po's realization, after the panda got back to the pagoda, "I've figured out who the murderer is!"

"Who is it?" Everyone gasped in unison.

"I hate to say it," Po sighed, "But the killer is none other than you…..MEI!" he pointed dramatically.

Shei-Hu's sister gasped. "How could you even possibly think that?" she asked, offended, "I was outside, on the ground level. Wujing was hung on the fifth floor of the pagoda!"

"Allow me to explain, but let's go outside first," Po smirked.

Everyone headed out. "Where'd Tai Lung go?" Monkey asked.

"He's setting everything up for me," Po explained, "This totally awesome deduction!"

Everyone then noticed that Tai Lung had smeared a sticky substance along the sacred fountain rock, attached a noose around it, brought the rope up to the top floor, stretched it the distance across, then brought it down the other side. The tea merchants before had come back, as per Po's request.

"What's all this, Po?" Viper asked.

"The trick Mei used," Po began to deduce, "She called Wujing outside, and lured him over to the fountain. Since he was drunk, it was easy to get him to keep him there. She attached the other end of this rope to the tea merchant's cart. When the merchant took off, they pulled the noose loose and it wrapped around Wujing's neck, sending him flying upwards."

"That's how he got that bash on his head," Tigress realized, "He hit the top of the pagoda at full force."

"Her scheme worked like a weight system," Tai Lung explained, having come downstairs, "Once Wujing hit his head, the dead weight he became prevented the rope from being fulled further and it snapped off the cart."

"That would give her enough time to hide the remaining rope," Po said.

"But how did she lock the door from the inside?" Zhu asked.

"She was able to climb up and down the tope she set for her trap," Tai Lung explained.

"And the way my paw got stuck to the rock earlier…it was the same sticky stuff used to support the noose," Po recalled.

"But where's your proof I murdered Wujing?" Mei asked.

"You're wearing it Mei," Tigress spoke up, "Your lipstick. That mark on the fountain rock isn't blood like Po thought it was, but rather, your lipstick."

"The lipstick you said you just made," Po concluded, "You had to set a lot of stuff up around the rock, your mouth must have accidently touched it."

"But why sister?" Shei-Hu asked, "Why would you do such a terrible thing?"

"Because, honorable brother," Mei sighed sadly, "For a so-called "friend", Wujing was planning to completely screw you over."

"What do you mean?" Ling asked.

"I overheard him chatting one night after he got drunk at the town pub," Mei revealed, "He was planning to rob you out of all the things you received for your and Ling's wedding, and he was also going to steal your fortune from our home."

Ling and Shei-Hu looked on with expressions of betrayal and depression as Mei admitted her motive.

"We'll take her to the authorities," Viper promised, "We promise nothing will hurt her."

"I genuinely hope your marriage goes well honorable brother," Mei said sincerely to the slightly older cheetah.

…..

As the Furious Five, Po, and Shifu were returning to the Valley of Peace, they were having a conversation.

"Such a sad day," Viper sighed.

"Parties shouldn't be like this," Monkey nodded, somewhat missing the point.

Po, Tai Lung, and Tigress were walking together. "We worked well together," Tigress smiled to the guy warriors.

"Thank you," Tai Lung smiled. The snow leopard secretly had feelings for Tigress.

It was then that Po noticed something. "Hey guys," the Dragon Warrior smiled, seeing something lying on the road, "Check this out!"

"What is it, Big Guy?" Tai Lung asked.

"A weird kind of knife," Po said, carefully picking up the sharp object as the two felines gathered around him.

It should be no surprise what happened next. As the trio examined the item, Po, Tigress, and Tai Lung all began to flash.

"Is this some kind of technique I never learned?" Po asked nervously.

"I'm afraid not," Tigress frowned, confused.

Before Shifu or the others could do anything, the trio vanished.

…

Back in the junkyard, Skunk, Fox, Rabbit, Fry, Leela, Bender, Bill, Aldo, Lazlo, Raj, Clam, Tod, Vixey, Ami, Yumi, Fozzie, Gonzo, Pepe, and Yugi had all gathered back at the campfire center base where the others used to be.

"This is awful," Bill said, "There was a murder, and now they probably hate us."

"To be honest," Raj said, "I don't think the ones who need to worry are ourselves."

Just then, Po, Tigress, and Tai Lung landed by them.

"Where are we?" Tai Lung added.

Tod, Vixey, and Yumi explained the story about the junkyard, the 7 people (albeit now down to 6), and the murder of Nina.

"Finally someone with a name that makes sense," Rabbit said to Fox about Tigress.

"What were you saying Raj?" Lazlo asked.

"What I'm getting at Lazlo," Raj explained, "Is that there was no warning that somebody was going to die. The murder came completely out of nowhere. I think that whoever the killer is…."

"They're not done, right?" Vixey finished for the elephant, figuring where he was getting at.

"If we don't figure out which one of them is the killer," Tigress said, "More of them are going to end up dead, right?"

….

It had taken a while, but Ginny's elevator finally reached the base level of the junkyard.

"Finally," she sighed, stepping outside, though she had to make her way through several beads and streamers that had been hung right outside. "Who put these up here?" she frowned.

As the gorilla stepped through the dark hallway leading to the main junkyard, she pulled out her gun to use as protection.

And then, something happened. Before Officer Foyer could have any time to react, she felt something stab her in the chest.

"Ack!" she exclaimed in pain, reaching up to feel a chain and realized that a hook had impaled her. "No…." she said weakly, looking up to see the outline of her killer. "It was you…" she said weakly, as the hook began to raise up, killing her.

Eventually, the hook ended up swaying side to side until Ginny was dropped onto a pile of scrap metal, killing her.

The killer had claimed his or her next victim.


	10. Windy City Clues

**The Toon Files Episode 23: Windy City Clues**

Officer McEdison was still able to catch the first part of Ginny's message, so he soon showed up at the entrance to the junkyard prison.

"Cmon Ginny….where are you?" Clay asked, looking around. He was soon able to deduce that Ginny had headed down the emergency elevator.

"She went ahead of me," he figured, but when he tried to press the button to call the elevator back up, he realized something that made him shiver.

"It's been sabotaged," he realized, recognizing the sounds of electronic malfunction.

"I…I have to go get the keys," he realized. The keys to the bigger elevator had been hidden away in three separate worlds, but Officer McEdison knew where they were.

"Don't let me be too late to save her…" he said to himself as he quickly zoomed to the needed portals.

…

Down in the junkyard prison, the toons from all the other worlds were having a discussion.

"We all share one thing in common," Tigress realized.

"We all picked up some object we found to be out of place," Yumi continued for her.

"And the next thing any of us knew, we ended up here!" Bill concluded.

"There must have been something magical about these items," Fox said, holding up the bracelet that warped her, Rabbit, and Skunk to this world.

"But what could it possibly be?" Fry asked, "A lot of this stuff looks like junk."

"I mean, we got torn up clothes," Joey said, "This seems kinda stupid to be magic."

"And we got a cut up blade," Pepe commented, "What is this supposed to be, ok?"

The group stood there and pondered for a few minutes. "They all brought us here, right?" Aldo asked.

"Yeah," Tai Lung nodded.

"So maybe they were connected to the animals and people here," the gator deduced.

"DEDUCTION!" Clam exclaimed.

"But that raises a further question," Ami said, "What is the connection between all of these items?"

Rabbit thought back to what Hartwell, Sidney, and the others described. "They said someone was murdered, right?" he asked, "And the fact that they were the prime suspects got them thrown down here?"

"That was pretty much it," Tod nodded, "I think they said her name was Leslie Reynolds."

"We need to find out more about that murder," Rabbit said, taking a leader role, "If we're ever gonna want to get out of here."

…

**Chicago, Illinois, 1993.**

Living in the windy city was quite the experience, for both humans and animals. There was the Sears Tower, the Elevator Train, various deep dish pizzas, and more.

For a certain cat and dog duo, it was a nice treat. They had finally found an owner in the form of the Gardner family, the mother Pat, the father Bruce, and their teenage daughter Donna.

Rita was the calm, snarky, streetwise cat, while Runt was the big, cheerful, not-too-bright dog. (To this date, he hasn't realized that Rita is actually a cat.)

One day, Rita had headed out of the John Hancock Center where her owners lived to see more of the sites.

"Ah, the city," Rita grinned, walking through an alleyway, "The perfect place for a cat."

"We'll say so!" 3 voices suddenly laughed. Rita turned her head, she instantly knew who they belonged to.

Emerging from behind some crates were a trio of alley cats: Allison, Julius, and Denver. Each of these felines had a physical trait about them that stuck out: Allison had fur that went down over her eyes, so she constantly had to move it aside with her paws; Julius had one paw where one particular claw never grew, and Denver's tail would only drag along the ground.

"So, the pampered pussycat is visiting us commoners, huh?" Allison smirked.

"Oh, shut up," Rita said, "I know you three keep wanting to mess with my humans."

"You mean like shooting the windows dirty with paintballs?" Denver asked, "That was classic."

"And that was my idea," Julius bragged, "But man, getting on the window cleaner was crazy."

"Take a hike," Rita scoffed, heading over to a local pizza place where the owner thought she was cute and would give free pizza.

…

Pat and Bruce ran a small alt gallery inside the John Hancock Center. A big opening celebration was scheduled for that night, and Bruce had bought his wife a new special pair of earrings.

"You always know the best thing to get a woman," Pat smiled about her husband, applying the pair to her ears. They were the newest brand, and extremely valuable.

Though as she talked, she was beginning to feel more and more sleepy. "I think I'll take a nap," she yawned.

What Pat didn't realize was that someone…or more like something…had an eye on her earrings. And that certain someone had released a sleeping mist into her room in order to enact his or her master plan.

…

A little while later, Pat woke up from her nap.

"Don't want to be late for the party preparations," she told herself. She saw a note on her nightstand reading "CALL DONNA."

Figuring it must have been Bruce, Pat did so.

…

Rita was walking alongside Donna in the lower level shopping centers, near some areas currently abandoned for construction.

"Yeah mom?" Donna asked, answering the call on her early 90s' cell phone.

"I was told to call you…" Pat began to speak, sounding confused.

Then it happened. Pat turned her head towards the door, and saw her earrings being dangled teasingly by a mysterious hand….or paw.

"Someone's stealing my earrings!" Pat called. The Gardner apartment was on the 70th floor, and Donna and Rita were down on the first.

"We're coming mom!" Donna called.

Suddenly, the sleeping mist took effect again, and Pat fell back asleep.

…..

As Rita and her human owner ran to the elevator, Julius, Allison, and Denver walked by.

"Why you freaking out Rita?" Denver taunted.

"Didn't get your fourth meal today?" Julius mocked.

"Ah, shut it," Rita growled.

"Dang it!" Donna frowned, looking at the elevator. A sign said "TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER."

"We'll have to take the stairs, girl," she said to Rita. Both the cat and the human teenager didn't like having to climb all the way to the apartment, but they had no choice in the matter.

Rita knew that Runt was off with Bruce at his job, so she didn't wonder where her canine companion was.

….

After 15 minutes of stair climbing, Donna and Rita reached their apartment.

"Mom! Wake up!" Donna called.

"Uhhh…" Pat groaned, getting back up after her second unexpected nap, "What happened?"

"Someone stole your earrings," Donna reminded, getting her mother's attention again.

"Oh shoot," Pat frowned, "Your father will be so disappointed if his gift just vanished like that."

"Can you remember anything about the thief mom?" Donna asked, hoping it wasn't any of her more immature friends, such as Jeff.

"Well, if I recall correctly," Pat thought, trying to collect all her memories of right before she dozed off, "I saw my earrings being held in the doorframe. I think whatever was holding them was a small hand….or maybe it was a paw…"

Rita was instantly struck by what those words meant. Purring gently to distract her owners, she set off downstairs.

As she left the apartment, she saw a delivery man move a crate. "Darn kids always messing with these," the man frowned.

…

The troublesome trio of alley cats were hanging out outside the studio where Oprah was filmed. Though Rita was not particularly a hunter, she was able to track their scents down.

"All right…." Rita panted, the cat needing to catch her breath, "Which one of you was it?"

"Which one of us was what?" Allison asked, eating a stray mouse, "Which one of us is better looking than you? That doesn't really narrow it down."

"No," Rita frowned, "Which one of you stole Mrs. Gardner's earrings?" she demanded.

"Stole her earrings?" Julius asked, "No why would any the three of us want that?"

"Don't play dumb," Rita replied, "I've seen you three constantly. You're always jealous that I'm living with the big wigs now, and you're mad you can't have the kind of stuff I do."

"Was that why you were racing upstairs with that teenager earlier?" Denver asked.

"Yeah, what's your point?" Rita asked in reply, "Donna heard Pat say that she saw her earrings being stolen, and we rushed upstairs."

"Then there's a problem with your theory sister," Allison smirked, "If it was any of us, how could we have made it from the 70th floor down to the lobby in less than a minute?"

"I know we always land on our feet, but I think a drop from that high could kill us," Julius laughed.

"Why you," Rita growled, her fur beginning to stand on end. This began to intimidate the alley cats.

"Maybe we should leave her alone," Denver advised honestly, fearing for their safety.

"Yeah, you better," Rita nodded in agreement.

…

Rita had returned to the John Hancock Center. She was flustered by all that had happened. She hated to see her owners in this state, it made them feel miserable.

"I have to find those earrings," the cat vowed, walking behind the restaurants on the first floor, and went to the construction site to get some privacy and time to think.

"Aw, peace and quiet," Rita smiled, "Can't say the same for when Runt is around." Rita truly cared about her dog friend, but it was more than clear who the brains of the duo was.

It was then the gray and white feline noticed something peculiar. Along one of the walls were curtains. But there were no windows here.

"These are just like in Pat's room," she noted. Looking around the room, she recognized something…off about the shape of this empty room. Something that seemed….familar.

"There's no way," Rita figured, but then she saw a certain print on the ground floor. "Could it be?"

…..

Rita went back out to the main section of the building. Donna and Pat had got down in the elevator.

"Dad won't make a big deal of it," Donna assured her mom.

Rita meanwhile was getting closer to answers. She had a good idea of who the culprit was, and at least part of the trick, but there was one thing that still didn't make sense to her.

"Hi Rita," Pat smiled, hugging her cat, "Feeling your soft head can make a woman feel better. Especially after these neck aches I've suddenly been having."

"And those splinters," Donna nodded, "I have no idea how you got those."

"It feels like I've been cramped up," Pat said, "And I have no idea how."

"At least the elevators are working now," Donna commented, "They weren't an hour ago."

"That's weird," Pat said confused, "Bruce and I got no reports of elevators needing to be repaired."

Suddenly, Rita's face lit up. She had figured out what had happened! She had the who, and now the how. She hopped out of Pat's hands and ran outside of the skyscraper.

…..

Denver, Julius, and Allison were back in their usual alleyway.

"All right," Rita said, "Where did you hide them Julius?"

"Hide what?" Julius asked, undignified.

"Pat's earrings," Rita replied, "I know you are the thief."

Julius and his friends could only laugh at the accusation. "How is that possible for him?" Allison asked, "How could any of us make it down so far in such a short period of time?"

"You have a point Allison," Rita smirked, "IF the crime really happened on the 70th floor."

Everyone gasped at that. "What are you talking about?" Julius asked.

"What I'm getting at is that you made use of the whole building for your trick," Rita explained. "You knocked Pat out with a sleeping mist and put her in a crate. That's why she had those splinters, and why that delivery guy was moving the crate."

"You created a replica of Pat's room in the construction site. I saw the curtains, Julius. And that's why you planned the paintball attack on the windows….so Pat would constantly keep the curtains shut. That way, in your fake room, she wouldn't realize there were now windows."

"But you found here on the 70th floor," Julius reminded, "There's no getting around that fact."

"I won't deny that," Rita nodded, "But that was all part of your plan as well. You left a note indicating to call Donna, who you knew would be downstairs. You needed a witness. Once Pat exclaimed her earrings had been stolen, you knocked her out with the sleeping mist again, and put her back in the crate. You left a false sign saying the elevator could not be used. You knew that if we beat you upstairs, your trick would fall apart. So while Donna and I took the long way up, you first appeared before me to establish your alibi, then you got the crate back up in the elevator."

"Nice plan, man," Denver complimented.

"But where's the proof I did something so clever?" Julius asked, wanting to extend this little "game" of theirs.

"The proof is in the paw prints," Rita informed, "I came across the construction site you used for the replica room. While down there, I saw a certain print on the floor. A paw print…where one claw was not noticeable. The claw you happen to lack, my good non-buddy."

"Fine," Julius admitted, "You win." He reached behind a crate and picked up the earrings. "I thought these would look good on you, Allison."

"How sweet," Allison smiled, as Rita snatched back her owner's new gift and raced back to the John Hancock Center with it.

Needless to say, Pat was pleased with Rita to see that she found the gift to her from Bruce.

….

With the mystery solved, Rita was given a special treat by Pat: an entire buffet of fish.

"My kind of meal," Rita grinned with that signature smugness all felines shared (especially tigers). As she ate, Bruce returned home from his job with Runt in tow.

"Hi honey," Pat smiled, hugging her husband, "How was your day?"

"Fine, except for the tower of piles Runt toppled over," Bruce smiled.

"I'm going to Martin's party now," Donna said, waving goodbye to her parents and pets.

Bruce and Pat meanwhile prepared for the party at their gallery, which was sure to bring a great turnout.

"Have a good time you two," the couple smiled to their cat and dog as they left, "Don't get into crazy shenanigans."

…..

As Runt dozed off, Rita was about to go to bed for the night when all of a sudden, Clay appeared in the apartment!

"AGH!" She exclaimed, "Who are you?"

"Do not be alarmed, young feline," Officer McEdison informed, "I just need to obtain a key….ah! Here it is!"

The puma was about to warp back to Holbrook when Rita pounced him. "You're not taking any things from my humans!"

Before Rita could get thrown back, she teleported to Holbrook with the officer.

Runt opened his eyes. "This is definitely not good. Definitely, definitely not good."

…..

Back in the junkyard prison, the toon detectives were tracking down the 6 remaining initial prisoners.

"We need more information on the death that started this all," Tai Lung said, "And we need some of us to defend the others when the killer makes his or her next move."

Suddenly, as the group rounded a bend, then bumped into a familiar face.

"Agh!" Sidney exclaimed, the tigress caught off-guard for a second. "Hey! Another tiger," she smiled, at the sight of Tigress.

"Sidney, listen," Fox said, "We all want to help you and your friends. Each and every one of us wants to."

"Even me," Fozzie nodded, "And that's no joke."

"But there's something you have to tell us," Tigress said, "How did this all start? There has to be more to the murder of this "Leslie Reynolds" than just the abridged version."

"You have to tell us everything you know," Yumi said, "No fancy mystic indirect talk here."

Sidney sighed. She realized they were right. "Fine," she nodded, "I'll tell you everything. I won't leave out any details."


	11. Materia Witness

**The Toon Files Episode 24: Materia Witness**

Sidney rested on an old, torn up armchair that someone had thrown away.

"Leslie had tried some things to get back at us," the tigress explained, "Though Doyle and Ethan, being the experts in our legal department, were able to fight back against her. Our case made headlines around our world."

"Interesting," Leela said, her one eye blinking, "What happened next?"

"Well, when we began to gain an advantage, the news said Leslie was starting to develop a case of depression. That's why I thought for sure the death was a suicide, but…"

"But what?" Tod frowned, "You've been withholding info from us, haven't you?"

"From the reports I heard," Sidney continued, "She went to a party, and after some time, she began to feel weird."

"What ended up happening to her?" Rabbit asked, concerned.

"She went into a bathroom. When she didn't come back after quite a while, someone went in to check on her. Her wrist had been badly cut. And…."

"And what?" Fry asked, eating a cheeseburger he had kept in his pocket.

"And there was a window nearby that had been cut open with a glass cutter," Sidney revealed.

"That's a big thing to leave out!" Raj scolded angrily.

"I know, I know," Sidney replied, starting to show tears of anger, "I…I just didn't want my friends to turn on each other. We've been friends for a long time."

….

Elsewhere, Courtney, Hartwell, and Ethan had met up.

"Hey Hartwell," Ethan asked, able to calm down after a long while, "How's that new painting coming along?"

The lion was the artist of the group, and even in the junkyard, he could find supplies that would make beautiful images.

"It's coming along quite well," Hartwell admitted, "I just wish Nina would've been able to see it."

"I know," Courtney nodded.

"Doyle really seems the most upset by this," Ethan said, "I think…he may have been planning to propose to Nina."

"We have to find a way out of here….for Nina's sake," Hartwell encouraged.

…

**Aboard the Highwind, 1998.**

Things had been hellish in this world. Cloud Strife and his friends were just barely able to prevent an apocalyptic tragedy. Because of various villains such as a mad scientist named Hojo and a madman with a sword Sephiroth, the Planet was nearly destroyed by the devastating Meteor.

But thanks to Aerith, a friend of the group who was tragically killed by Sephiroth, they were able to use the lifestream to defend the Planet. The day was mostly saved.

But Cloud, Barrett Wallace, Tifa Lockheart, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Yuffie Kisargi, Cid Highwind, and Vincent Valentine knew their journey was not fully over. The world had collapsed a fair deal with the reveal of the evils of mako energy, and society for the most part needed some level of rebuilding.

And now, the group was flying through the skies on their signature airship, the Highwind. This time of year, various monsters had been seen in the skies, and what better place to fight them from?

"Oh yeah!" Yuffie grinned, "We're totally gonna kick some major monster butt!" The ninja/former materia thief was quite the peppy one.

"No need for such enthusiasm," Vincent mocked.

"Do we have the material we'll need for combat?" Red XIII, whose real name was Nanaki asked.

"The summon materia?" Tifa replied, "Yeah."

….

The Highwind kept flying through the skies. Cid, as co-captain of the airship, was keeping his eye on the radar.

"Hey ya'll!" he suddenly called, "We got some beats headin' our way!"

Cloud pulled out his Buster Sword, his signature weapon. "It's time to take our battle stations!" he ordered.

"Yeah," Barrett smirked, "Let's take these mother…. Down!" he armed his arm gun.

"Red XIII, Yuffie, Tifa, you three get our materia," Cloud ordered.

"Got it," Red XIII nodded, the canine and the girls taking off from the airship's bridge.

Vincent and Barrett, the two members of the team who fought using firearms, would be able to fight the monsters without being in close ranger.

"Hmph, a wyvern?" Vincent sighed, almost disappointed, "Those poor things….they never know what they are in for." He began to load his sniper rifle.

BLAM! BAM! The duo began to shoot the monsters that descended towards the airship.

…

But fighting from afar could only last for so long. Eventually, the flying monsters came in swarms of large enough numbers that the more directly physical fighters had to take them on.

"Where's our summon materia?" Cloud called.

"We got a super bad problem!" Yuffie frowned, running to the bridge, "Our summon materia is missing!"

"What?" Cloud frowned, "How is that possible?"

"We looked in the materia storage room," Red XIII informed, "But we could only see the yellow command materia."

"We'll have to handle this directly, Cloud," Tifa said.

"Damn it," Cloud frowned, pulling out his sword, "I'll try to look for it if we can catch a break during the fight."

"Watch out!" Barrett exclaimed, firing on a flying wyvern that was zooming towards Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie.

"We'll handle the bridge," Vincent called, his red cape getting slightly torn, "The rest of you…take the interior!"

"Got it," Yuffie nodded, pulling out her throwing stars. The spunky ninja had somewhat of a crush on the silent sniper.

"Now," Cid laughed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, "Time for the fun to begin!" He pulled out his signature weapon, a lance.

….

Cloud and Cid were slicing their way through the engine room.

"It doesn't make sense," Cloud frowned, spinning his blade, "How could the summon materia just go missing?"

"You kids today," Cid said, being one of the older members of the group, "Always unable to keep track of your stuff."

"But we keep each of the materia kept in a set place," Cloud explained, casting a fire spell, "How could one of the types vanish while the others don't?"

"Less mystery, more action!" Cid called, impaling a monster on his spear.

….

Red XIII and Tifa were fighting the monsters on the outer deck.

"Brings back memories of fighting WEAPON, doesn't it?" Tifa asked, unleashing a flurry of punches on a flying viper.

"Not sure if we can call those fond ones," Red XIII replied, pouncing and biting another one of the creatures.

Just then, a water one-eye descended towards the ship.

"Are you gonna use the throw materia?" Red XIII asked.

"Nah," Tifa smirked, "I prefer fighting hand to hand." She cracked her knuckles.

When the one-eye got closer to the platform, Tifa began throwing punches at it.

When the beats manages to avoid her attacks for a while, it unleashed a water blast towards the two.

"I'm going to go back in and help the guys!" Tifa called, "Can you handle things up here?" Tifa was able to dodge the water blast.

"Leave it to me," Red XIII smirked.

…..

Cloud, Yuffie, and Cait Sith were taking the fight into the locker room. Cait Sith appeared to be a cat, when in actuality he was a robot being controlled by Reeve, a renegade employee of the Shinra company who changed his ways and helped Cloud and his friends save the world.

Cait Sith, in turn, controlled a giant moogle robot from the Gold Saucer, the world's premeire amusement park.

"Die you big bullies!" Yuffie growled, nailing several of the creatures with her throwing stars.

"Metal note, never piss off Yuffie," Cloud said to himself silently.

Cait Sith, seeing that his allies had gotten somewhat hurt, cast a Cure spell on them. "We're not going down here, lads," the cat laughed, having an unexplained Irish accent.

Shortly after that casting, a monster knocked Yuffie against a locker, knocking out the contents.

"Ugh….take this!" Yuffie growled, using a Bolt magic materia to counter, shocking the monster to death. She then looked at what had fallen out: A few cell phones, a spray can, and another barrel for Vincent's rifle.

"You alright Yuffie?" Cloud asked, slashing up more monsters.

"I'm fine, you better not count me out," the White Rose of Wutai called. She began to use her bigger blades as a way of showing she meant business.

…

Up on the bridge, Vincent and Barrett had to protect the crew while simultaneously shooting the monsters assaulting the front of the ship.

"We are gonna need some bigger firepower," Barrett told his fellow arm wielder.

"Anything would be helpful in my opinion!" a random crew member called.

Vincent, having quite a calculating mind, was developing a theory. He had equipped his gun to mix with magic materia to add extra force to his shots.

"These creatures seem to have a vulnerability to lightning based attacks," the person who somewhat resembled a vampire realized, "We should accomidate that into our offensive."

"Way ahead of you," Barrett smirked, pulling out a yellow Enemy Skill materia. This particular materia gave Cloud and his allies the ability to learn attacks that the various monsters they fought used.

"I cast Trine!" Barrett called. Emerging in front of him were several giant electrified pyramids that twirled and electrocuted the monsters approaching the bridge. None of them stood a chance of avoiding the shockwave.

One by one, the monsters began to drop like flies. The sky battle was nearing its end.

"Heh," Barrett chuckled, being able to catch a breath, "Let's hope the others are almost done. This is just getting old."

"We stopped Jenova and Sephiroth," Vincent reminded, "Our victory here is all but confirmed."

"You really do lack in the social skills department," Barrett noted.

…

Indeed, the battle was winding down. Tifa and Red XIII were able to protect the outer deck and join the battle on the inside of the ship.

"This would have been over a lot sooner if someone didn't swipe our summons," Cloud commented, glaring at Yuffie as he sliced up more monsters with his Climhazzard attack.

"What are you looking at me for?" Yuffie asked, offended.

"You have more experience than any of us in the materia theft department," Cloud pointed out, "And need I remind you that you tried to get me to sign a paper that would hand over all the materia to you before?"

"That was then, this is now," Yuffie replied, spinning and unleashing more of her throwing stars.

"I'll take care of these things!" Red XIII called, casting a Haste spell on himself so he could attack more swiftly.

Another water one-eye descended into the engine room. Tifa's initial punches missed the beast.

"Going for the gold!" Cid chuckled, preparing to wield his lance like an Olympic gymnast.

"The final attack," Cloud said, as Tifa dodged another water blast. Cloud cast a fire spell to add power to Cid's lance.

"Here it comes!" Cid exclaimed, throwing his lance, impaling the beast. Combined with Cloud's fire spell, the battle was one with the death of the last water one-eye.

"Woo hoo!" Yuffie cheered, "There's no stopping us!"

…

Damages to the Highwind were quite minimal, so repairs would not take too much time.

"I'm surprised you were so afraid of a little water," Red XIII said to Tifa.

"We all have things we're not fond of," Tifa replied.

"We were able to discover their weakness," Vincent commented, "That's why we able to win fairly quickly this time."

"Now maybe I can search for our missing summon materia," Cloud said, "If something like Knights of the Round got into the wrong hands…."

"Yeah, yeah, we know, we know," Cait Sith nodded, hopping off his fighting moogle.

"You missed the best part," Barrett said to Cloud, "When we completely electrocuted some of these creeps with our Trine skill."

"I figured out their weakness and used it to our advantage," Vincent explained.

It was then Cloud noticed something had been odd this whole time. "There's no way….," the spiky-haired young man said to himself.

Cloud quickly rushed out of the bridge and back to the locker room.

Looking around, he found an object that had dropped earlier during the fight. Picking it up, he tested it out.

"I got it," he said confidently.

…

"Whoa," Cid exclaimed as Cloud returned to the Highwind's bridge, "Why did you just up and run off like that?"

"I had a theory," Cloud replied casually.

"About what?" Yuffie asked.

"About who the thief who took the summon materia was," Cloud replied.

"So you figured that out, eh?" Red XIII asked, "Why don't you tell all of us who it was?"

"Certainly," Cloud nodded, raising his right hand, "Just hand the summons over…..Tifa."

"Me?" Cloud's childhood friend laughed, "Cloud, I've known you long enough to know you're not stupid. Stop this."

"You don't have to play innocent Tifa," Cloud replied, "I know how you did it."

"That tell us," Tifa encouraged.

"Well, simply put," Cloud began, "The materia wasn't actually stolen from the room it was kept in….it was there the whole time."

"Really?" Yuffie asked surprised, "Then how could you have missed it?"

"Simple," Cloud replied, "Tifa spray painted over it with yellow spray paint."

"Yellow…just the exact color of command materia!" Red XIII realized.

"That's why she avoided the water blasts from those one-eyes," Cloud explained, "Their attacks would have washed off the paint and exposed what type of materia it really was."

"And the spray paint," Yuffie realized, "That came from the locker."

"Tifa, you decided to use that materia to cover up your theft, but I soon realized you were the only one of us here who never used materia during the fight. If you had, we would have realized you were the thief the whole time."

"Fine," Tifa smiled, polishing off the paint with a cloth, "You can have the Summons back."

"But why?" Cait Sith asked, puzzled.

"Because I was concerned for the planet," Tifa said, "With the state the world is in after Meteor...I figured using those kinds of Summons would cause damage to the environment I figure that wasn't worth the cost."

"I see," Cloud nodded, "We'll do our best to save these for emergencies now on."

….

A few minutes later, after everything had seemed to return to normal on the Highwind, Officer McEdison and Rita appeared on board out of nowhere!

"Who are you?" Barrett growled.

"Hold your fire," Rita begged.

"I just need the junkyard key," Clay explained, "I left it on this ship a while ago."

"That key in the office?" Cloud asked, realizing what the puma was talking about.

"The very same," Clay replied. That's what he saw Cloud's sword. "I see you are an expert with swordplay, good sir?" he questioned.

"I am," Cloud nodded, "Why does that matter?"

"Truth be told," Clay admitted, "I am going to need your help on a mission."

"We can handle the world for now, Cloud," Tifa smiled, "Just, be sure to take care of yourself."

Cloud nodded and turned to Clay and Rita. "I'll come with you," he assured.

"Welcome to the team," Rita smiled.

"You weren't a member," Clay informed the cat.

…..

Back in the junkyard, Bender heard a loud noise. "Crap! It's the cops!" he said, trying to toss away some jewelry.

"Don't be alarmed," Sidney said, stepping in front of the group, "That alarm just indicates the conveyor belt is in use. Though I wonder who would be using it at this hour…."

"We should find everyone and regroup," Ami advised, "It definitely isn't safe to split up again."

"Good think Ami," Yumi smiled to her friend.

"But even then," Raj spoke up, "Can we be sure we'll all be safe?"

"The little elephant has a point," Tai Lung nodded.

Yugi stepped forward next. "I hate to admit it Sidney," the King of Games commented, "But chances are….one of your friends is a killer."

A dark shadow loomed over the junkyard. Things were only going to get worse before they got any better.


	12. Treeway Robbery

**The Toon Files Episode 25: Treeway Robbery**

Mallick was sitting in his private spot in the prison junkyard, reading.

"This day can only get worse," the human frowned to himself. Though none of them had the chance to talk about it, they all began to suspect the terrible truth that the killer was among them.

It was then that a noise began to be made apparent to Mallick. It was a dripping sound. An upsetting, suspicious dripping sound.

"All logic tells me I should go away from that," Mallick groaned, "But the other part of me says I should check it out," he said to himself.

….

Up in Holbrook, Clay, Cloud, and Rita were zipping through the city in the cheetah cop's car.

"Looking to save your partner huh?" Cloud asked.

"I hope I'm not too late," Officer McEdison nodded, "She was trying to warn me of something, but her talkie died before she could say what."

"You said you just need one more key, right?" Rita asked, getting a nod from the cheetah, "Then don't slow down! You have to keep going!"

…

Rabbit was still acting as an unofficial leader of the toons who had warped to the junkyard from their worlds.

"The items we touched that ended up sending us here," Rabbit figured, "We have to figure out the connections between all of them."

"Everyone," Leela called, speaking up, "Do you still have the items that brought you here?"

Ami and Yumi held up that pamphlet that contained the dress code.

Gonzo, Fozzie, and Pepe each held a piece of the chopped up blade. "This helpful, ok?" Pepe asked.

Aldo and Bill held up the set of stickers they had found near the Decoy Café.

And this pattern went on until each group of friends showed the object that brought them to the junkyard prison.

"The answer….it's hidden somewhere in these things," Rabbit and Fox suddenly said in unison.

"Cool," Skunk and Lazlo awed.

"Stay here, Sidney," Fox advised for the tigress' safety.

….

**The jungles of India, 1897.**

If there is one law that is always in effect, it's the Law of the Jungle. The animals in the vast jungle knew what they could and couldn't do, and never attempted to violate that. Recently, a man cub named Mowgli who had lived in the jungle all his live finally went to live in the man village, much to the delight of his panther friend Bagheera and the disappointment of his bear friend Baloo.

One day long after the Mowgli incident, Bagheera was walking through the jungle. The intelligent panther was a nice contrast to the fun-loving, laid back Baloo.

"You really need to be more active," Bagheera snarked to the bear, who was eating a meal which he planned to follow up with a nap.

"Come on now Baggy," Baloo chuckled, "You know running around goes against the Bear Necessities."

"And so does using one's brain," Bagheera said, under his breath, "I'll be back later."

…

As Bagheera hunted for a meal, he passed by some familiar faces. Kaa the snake was slithering through the trees.

"Ssssomething will be going into my sssstomach," Kaa snickered to himself. Kaa wasn't really a threat to most animals, so Bagheera paid him no mind.

But only a few feet later, massive thumps were heard. Bagheera frowned, knowing instantly what this was.

"To the rear, march!" Colonel Haithi the elephant ordered his troops.

Bagheera had to take cover as the elephants began to knock over several trees over the course of their patrol. "It's a miracle they manage to regrow in a year," he snarked.

After catching a deer for food, Bagheera was going to find a nice tree to rest in, when someone interrupted him.

"Halt!" One of King Louie the ape's servant primates called, "Do not get any closer to the palace"

"What is it this time?" Bagheera yawned.

"King Louie just got a new crown off a man skeleton, and he doesn't want to risk having anyone around who would steal it."

"I wouldn't do such a pointless endeavor," the panther commented, finding a tree branch to rest out that was considered out of the "risk zone" by the monkeys.

He then dozed off to sleep, not aware of the mystery he was about to get wrapped up in.

…

"WAKE UP PANTHER!" the monkey servant called a little while later, making Bagheera jump out of his nap. He fell out of the tree right afterwards.

"Ugh….what do you want?" Bagheera asked, rubbing his hurt head.

"King Louie's crown has been stolen!" the servant informed, "We are conducting a search of the area."

"Why did you need to wake me up then?" Bagheera growled.

"Because the king requests your service in locating the culprit," the servant ape explained.

"Fine," Bagheera nodded, going to see Louie. He, Louie, Baloo, Haithi, Kaa, and even Shere Khan were cubhood friends, after all.

"Nice to see you again Baggy," Louie smiled as Bagheera approached the ape's "throne."

"Yes, yes, nice to see you too," Bagheera replied, hating that nickname, "Your subjects said you wished for my services in finding your crown?"

"Yup," Louie nodded, "I was sitting on my throne, taking a little nap. But when I woke up, I found my crown had been stolen during my slumber!"

"But that means it could have been anybody," Bagheera pointed out.

"Not quite," Louie replied, "Like my servants said, they had my throne pretty much staked out. If anyone was able to steal my crown, they had to have used some clever skills."

"Do you have any known….enemies?" Bagheera asked.

"Well," Louie began to recall, "There's Khannie. He's not so bad now that Mowgli's in the man village, but that bad attitude and ego of his is always around."

"I'll go and talk to him," Bagheera said. Out of the 5 other animals when they were cubs, Bagheera was the one who Khan could almost consider a genuine friend, and rarely insulted him.

…

One the way to Khan's lair, Bagheera heard a familiar moaning.

"Owww…." Kaa complained, slithering along the ground. In another example of the snake's lack of luck, he unintentionally got stepped on by Bagheera.

"Sorry Kaa," Bagheera apologized, "What happened to you?"

"I'm feeling ssssore in the mouth right now," Kaa explained, "I think there may be a hole in it."

"That can sting," Bagheera nodded, "You should use some plants to help with the pain."

"Thankssssss Bagheera," Kaa nodded, slithering towards a meadow, "I'll do jusssssst that." The snake yawned, he had just woken up as well.

"I'm off to see Shere Khan at the moment," the panther explained.

"Take care," Kaa called in reply.

…

In a cave not too far into the jungle was Shere Khan, the tiger. This powerful jungle cat was known for his hatred of man, matched in size only by his ego.

"Why Bagheera," Khan smirked, "Why are you visiting the great Shere Khan?"

"To ask some questions," Bagheera replied, "I hate to admit it, but you're considered a suspect in an investigation."

"A mystery, is it?" Khan smirked, the tiger full of himself, "What could the caper possibly be?"

"Louie thinks you stole his crown," Bagheera explained.

"A crown?" Shere Khan chuckled in disbelief, "Why would I possibly steal something like that?"

"Don't play dumb, Shere Khan," Bagheera replied, "No offense, but you do seem to be constantly…pleased with yourself. You never ignore the chance to brag. It would perfectly in character for you to want to get something that could show off your "royalty."

"Pah!" Shere Khan laughed, thinking the very idea to be silly, "Why would I, the great Shere Khan, need a useless, hideous man thing to signal my power? Why, all of the other animals will simply know to bow to this mighty tiger."

"Wow…." Bagheera replied, impressed, "That…I completely believe that," he said honestly, "That line of reasoning….you're absolutely right."

"Of course I'm right," Khan frowned, "And you should know me well enough that I despise man enough to never want to hold onto one of their man items like a trophy" What the tiger didn't realize was that there was a certain key lying in another part of his cave.

"Well then," Bagheera commented, the conversation ending awkwardly, "I guess I'll be headed back into the jungle."

"If you see the man cub again," Khan smirked, "Tell him this." He then did a neck-slicing gesture with his claw.

…

Back in the deep jungle, Bagheera was still searching for clues. With Shere Khan ruled out, he didn't know who else could be considered a suspect.

"Owww…." The panther heard Kaa groan again. The hypnotizing snake was still in the middle of pain, unable to fall asleep.

"Geez Kaa," Bagheera commented, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Now, I think the besssst thing that can be done issss help me to doze off," Kaa complained, "Esssspecially after what happened to me earlier thisssss morning."

"What happened earlier this morning?" Bagheera asked, curiously.

"You ssssee," Kaa began to explain, "I had jussst eaten my breakfassssst thissss morning, and I wasssss going to hunt for my lunch, when all of a ssssudden I felt ssssomething put me to sleep."

"You sure you're not suffering from insomnia?" Bagheera asked, looking around.

"I doubt that," Kaa replied, "All I can remember issss that when I woke up, my mouth began to feel sore."

Bagheera began to wonder. "And were you in a completely different place when you woke up?" he questioned.

"Yessssssss…." Kaa nodded, still a bit drowsy.

"I'll be back," Bagheera assured the often teased snake.

…..

The biggest mystery was still, of course, how anyone could have gotten past without getting caught by Louie's servants.

"Even the most stealthy of predators would have had to have left some kind of markings behind," he noted to himself.

He briefly considered the vultures that had been seen in the more wasteland part of the jungle. "Nah," Bagheera figured, "They are too mellow to even contemplate doing something like this."

With the bird theory out of the way, Bagheera didn't quite take his mind from the skies.

"Could it be….." Bagheera pondered, looking at the trees around him, "That the culprit used the trees to reach the palace?"

Using his cat skills of climbing, Bagheera ascended to the top of one of the nearby trees.

"With Haithi and the Dawn Patrol not around," Bagheera said to himself, "These trees are able to actually grow," he snarked.

Though Bagheera's greatest weapon was by far his mind, that wasn't to say he lacked in the muscular talent department. He was able to maneuver from tree to tree fairly easily.

Looking down, he soon saw a big imprint on the ground below.

"I wonder what could have caused that," he noted as he continued down a route of trees that led back to Louie's place.

….

King Louie was doing his daily musical number with his servant monkeys when Bagheera neared the palace.

"Oh dear," the panther realized, as he reached the last tree, "This drop is too high." Bagheera wasn't scared of heights or anything, but he realized that one couldn't simply go the edge and reach for the crown without losing a way to get back onto the trees.

"Hey Baggy!" Louie waved, "Did you find my royal crown yet?"

"I'm afraid not….your highness," Bagheera replied, always annoyed at having to address his friend like that.

"Then at least join the party," the king of the apes encouraged.

Bagheera leaped down, though he was definitely no party animal. "I'm afraid Shere Khan is not the culprit," he informed Louie.

"Darn it," Louie frowned, "I was sure It was him."

"Do you have any other possible suspects in mind?" he questioned the king.

"No, none that I can think of," Louie admitted.

Bagheera was running out of options. He was about to call off the investigation, when he noticed something.

Along the ground of Louie's lair, in front of the thrown, was a line in the dirt. It was about the width of a human foot.

This made Bagheera smirk. "Yo, what's up?" Louie asked.

"I've figured it out," Bagheera announced, "I know who stole your crown."

…..

Bagheera returned to where he had been earlier in the day, where Baloo was still alternating between sleep and eating fruit.

"Hey Baggy." The big bear grinned, "Come to partake in the bear necessities?"

"Actually Baloo," Bagheera smirked, "I came here to ask where you put Louie's crown."

"What are ya talking about, Baggy?" Baloo chuckled nervously.

"What I'm saying is," Bagheera revealed, "Is that you made use of the trees to get to Louie's crown. I've seen you be able to climb up the more sturdy trees in the past. You made your way from tree to tree until you reached the ruins."

"But how could I have reached Louie's crown?" Baloo chuckled.

"You had an accomplice…an unwitting one at that, our friend Kaa. You used a plant whose pollen could put any beast to sleep, and knocked Kaa out. You then used a stick or something like that to keep his jaw wide open. That's why he kept complaining about the pain."

"You're saying I used Kaa like some kind of clamp? That's just silly," the bear smirked.

"Not so silly once I saw the marking in Louie's place," Bagheera continued, "It was the except width of Kaa's head. Once you got our sleeping friend to grab on to the crown, you reeled him back in, if you will, but at first he dragged along the dirt in the palace."

"Well, couldn't Haithi have tried the same thing?" Baloo said I his defense.

"Baloo," Bagheera chuckled, "If the colonel tried this trick, a good portion of the jungle would no longer be standing. Besides, there's proof you are behind this."

"How so?" Baloo gulped.

"You can hide your fur from the monkeys Baloo," Bagheera smirked, "But you can't hide the fact you're rather….plump. I saw on the ground near Louie's palace am imprint that matches you in terms of size, and I know you supposedly hadn't been to that part of the jungle for a while….."

"Fine, fine, you got me Baggy," Baloo chuckled, getting up and unearthing the crown from a dirt pile.

"Why did you even take this, anyways?" Bagheera asked.

"Because," Baloo smiled, handing the crown back to Louie, "Because I am the king of the party animals!"

"I would challenge you on that remark," Louie smirked to his cubhood friend.

Bagheera could only chuckle and walk off.

….

A little bit later, when the panther was near Shere Khan's cave, he had a rather unexpected encounter.

"What on earth?" Bagheera gasped as a cheetah, housecat, and human appeared before him.

"A local eh?" Clay asked, the cheetah cop looking at Bagheera, "But I know you're not the one left the key with."

"Key?" Bagheera asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Just follow me sir," Clay instructed, as Cloud and Rita waited in Officer McEdison's car.

…

"You're seeking the item you left with me?" Shere Khan chuckled, "Will there be anything in it for me, the great Shere Khan?"

Clay sighed, he had known about the tiger's egomania when he entrusted him with the key. "You will get recognition as a hero back in the city of Holbrook," he suggested.

Khan thought about that for a second, "You'll need to do better than that."

Officer McEdison realized he was out of options. "You can come with us on my journey to save some people from a serial killer, and I'll let you fight him if need be."

"I'll come along too," Bagheera offered, as Shere Khan presented the key.

…

Down in the junkyard prison, Mallick was getting nearer and nearer to the source of the mysterious dripping.

"Anybody there?" the human called, "Courtney? Sidney? Hartwell? Ethan?" No reply came at all.

At the same time, Mallick could hear the sound of metal that was about to break into pieces. Looking up, Mallick soon got his answers.

Out from a container came Ginny's dead body!"

"Holy crap!" Mallick gasped, recognizing the gorilla as one of Clay's partners. Before he ran away, he examined the body. There was blood all over from the wound to her torso, but there was some other red stuff on her….

"What's this?" Mallick asked in fear, getting some of the substance on his hands. He turned to run away…..

…but it was too late. Before he could take a step in fleeing, the killer had grabbed him from behind.

Looking at the hands (or paws) of who was holding him, Mallick instantly realized who the killer was.

But it was all too late, as the murderer finished off Mallick by slicing his throat.

"Two down, four to go…" the killer said to no one in particular. The time for chaos has dawned.


	13. The Friendship Forever Torn

**The Toon Files Episode 26: The Friendship Forever Torn**

"Stick together everyone," Skunk called to the group that had gotten warped out of their worlds.

Ami and Yumi had stayed with Sidney to guard her.

"Is there anything else you should tell us about this place?" Ami asked the tigress.

"Well," Sidney recalled, beginning to regain her composure, "There is a big system of cranes at the top of here. We sometimes use it to move big parts around, but that's it."

"I see," Yumi nodded. But there was a thought that still bothered the snarky pop star. How was she and everyone else going to get out of this prison?

…

"Have you guys got the items that warped you here?" Leela asked the other detectives.

"Yup," Fox nodded, holding up the bracelet that she, Rabbit, and Skunk found. Fry presented the photo found in the locker. Bill and Aldo presented the sticker set from the Café. Lazlo, Raj, and Clam showed the box they had found. Tod and Vixey presented the glass they had found in the forest. Fozzie, Gonzo, and Pepe had the chopped up blade. Yugi and Joey revealed the sliced up clothes. And lastly, Po, Tai Lung, and Tigress showed the knife they had located.

"There's some big connection between all of these, there has to be," Tai Lung said.

"But right now," Yugi said, "We need to find Doyle, Mallick, Hartwell, Ethan, and Courtney."

"Good thinking Yuge," Joey nodded to his friend.

"Hold it," Tigress said, raising her paw, "I can hear something. It sounds like….music."

"I can hear it too," Fry nodded, "It sounds like…90s rock! Awesome!"

….

It turned out the music was being played by Ethan. The rabbit would listen to various tunes on a CD player to keep his cool.

"We just need to get everyone together," Leela explained.

"I know, I know," Ethan nodded, taking off his headphones, "Where's everyone else?"

"Ami and Yumi are with Sidney," Rabbit informed, trying to reclaim his role as leader, "We're just trying to get everyone else together again. It's too dangerous to be alone now."

"Do you know where any of the others are?" Vixey asked.

"Probably in their usual hangouts," Ethan informed, "Man, this day just went from bad to worse. First a thief, then murder…"

"Wait, thief?" Fox asked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Somebody stole my music player earlier," the rabbit informed, "I could tell, because all of the sudden, I heard the music playing at max volume. It took me a while to find it."

"Why the hell wound anyone do that?" Bender asked.

"We'll have to focus on that later," Po said, "We need to keep going."

…..

Ethan was able to lead them to Hartwell. The lion was currently painting a picture, as art was his talent.

"Hey Ethan," Hartwell called, "And you guys, as well," he said to the toon detectives.

"Nice picture," Yugi complimented.

"Why thank you," Hartwell said, "I'm hoping to become a big artist when we get out of here."

"Do any of you other guys try to paint?" Skunk asked, having attempted to make pictures back in the valley.

"Not really," Ethan said in response.

"And I am very protective of my art supplies," Hartwell informed, "I keep them stashed in a place only I know about."

"Just like us and our Duel Monsters cards," Joey grinned with his Brooklyn accent.

"Do you know where Courtney, Mallick, or Doyle are?" Gonzo asked.

"Indeed I do," Hartwell nodded, "We can find Courtney just west of here. She's a bit of a car enthusiast, so she hangs out around some of the cars that are still intact."

"Then let's be on our way," Vixey smiled.

…

Courtney was located where Hartwell had figured. In an out of use limo, she was having a smoke.

"Courtney?" Hartwell and Ethan called to the human.

"Yeah?" Courtney replied, she had rolled open one of the windows to let the smoke out.

"We were just looking for you, to keep you safe madam," Raj said.

"SAFETY!" Clam exclaimed.

"What he said," Fry nodded, still upset over the loss of his last Slurm can.

"Get over it ya baby," Bender taunted to his human friend.

"Please, we ask you to come with us," Tigress said.

"We need to stay in a group," Tai Lung added, in support of the one he had a crush on, "It's not safe for you to be alone."

"All right, all right," Courtney nodded, lighting up another cigarette.

"Scoutmaster Lumpus said cigarettes are bad for you, and that firing kills," Lazlo commented.

"No Lazlo, it's smoking that kills," Raj corrected.

"Who cares?" Courtney sighed, "We're all gonna die sooner or later."

"You shouldn't feel that way Courtney," Hartwell commented, "That's not really good for you."

"Let's just keep going," Courtney sighed.

"Doyle should not be too far from here," Ethan remembered, "He gets comforted by a lot of this junk."

….

As the group of detectives and junkyard prisoners kept searching, Fry noticed something around his feet.

"What's this goopy crap?" he asked.

"Oh, that's probably melted metal," Courtney explained, "We do use some of the technology around here. For example: We melt some of the more dangerous materials with the molten stuff to clear paths."

"Hey guys," Doyle called, the dog using a yo-yo to calm his nerves, "I'm sorry I freaked out earlier."

"We all did," Ethan responded, "And, in retrospect, we probably should stick together."

"Have you seen that Mallick guy around?" Tod asked, as Vixey helped Pepe with a cut he got from the blade shards.

"No, I haven't," Doyle replied, "I even checked out his usual places, and he wasn't there."

"You don't think anything happened to him, do ya?" Courtney asked, getting out another smoke.

"Nah," Ethan said, shaking his head, "Mallick's more cautious than any of us. If anything, he's probably locked himself up in some place where he couldn't get hurt if he thought he was in danger."

"We probably should get back to the meeting spot," Po commented, "This place is freakin freaking me out…"

…..

Up in Holbrook, now that all the keys had been gathered, Clay was driving as fast as he could back to the entrance of the Junkyard prison.

"So this is what the man cub meant when he referred to cities," Bagheera said, looking out the window.

"At least there are hardly any actual humans here," Shere Khan commented.

"I take offense to that," Cloud frowned, the human in front of the car with Clay and Rita.

"Don't care," Shere Khan replied smugly. The tiger still had not quite warmed up to the species.

"We're almost there," Clay said, seeing the grand elevator just ahead.

"This is gonna be sweet," Rita smirked, "I'll be able to brag to those three after this. They'll never mock me again."

"I think Justice is a far more important cause," Cloud said, not looking at the cat but his words were directed right at Rita.

"Come along," Clay said, using the three special keys to unlock the elevator, "We haven't got a moment to spare….if my partner's in danger.."

Cloud, Rita, Bagheera, and Shere Khan entered the elevator after Officer McEdison.

"I advise you all to not let your guard down," Clay said, "Whoever the killer is, he or she has to be dangerous."

"I have that covered," Cloud said, keeping his handy Buster Sword kept on his person.

"Time to head down," Bagheera said as the elevator made it's slow descent.

….

The group (minus the unbeknownst to them-deceased Mallick) had gathered back in the central area of the junkyard where they had discussions several times beforehand.

"Some of this just doesn't make sense," Bill commented as they reviewed the facts of the case.

"What do you mean by that, buddy?" Aldo asked his duck friend.

"Your stories, they aren't quite…matching up, in terms of the past," Bill said.

"What do you mean?" Courtney asked.

"I see where you're going," Leela nodded to Bill, "Some of you said that Leslie woman was gaining the upper hand…or paw I guess in the trial, while other accounts have said you were gaining an advantage over her."

"Huh?" Sidney asked, confused.

"We….." Doyle suddenly spoke up, "We didn't want to say it at the time, but we had some researchers uncover some facts about Ms. Reynolds that she probably wouldn't have wanted to go public…say, her involvement in some illegal arms dealing…"

"Really?" Hartwell asked, surprised.

"Yes," Doyle said, "And Ethan and I, we didn't let it go public, we were trying to scare her out of the pollution she was causing."

"And we didn't tell any of you till now," Ethan continued, "We're sorry…we should have told you all earlier."

"How could you guys do something so underhanded?" Sidney asked, shocked.

"But I have a question," Doyle said, turning to the detectives from the other worlds, "The timing of all of this has been bothering me, personally."

"What are you talking about?" Ami asked.

"We've been down in this prison for months, and yet Nina's murder didn't happen until all of you started to show up," the dog pointed out.

"You can't…possibly being accusing us of murder?" Tigress asked, insulted.

"It's certainly possible," Doyle continued, "The seven of us…we're close friends. We'd never dream of hurting each other. But you strangers…..as far as we know, you're all plants by the Holbrook cops. We know how corrupt they are."

"On what grounds do you have accusing us of that?" Fox asked.

Then, as it on cue, a shadow began getting bigger. When everyone looked up, they barely had time to gasp before Mallick's body landed in the center of the meeting place!

"AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" several people screamed in terror.

"You….you monsters!" Courtney panicked, pointing at the detectives.

"What…we didn't…." Tai Lung tried to argue, but it was no use.

Sidney, Courtney, Doyle, Hartwell, and Ethan all ran off as fast as they could, fearing for their lives.

….

"What are we gonna do now?" Skunk asked as the older ones examined the body.

"He was probably dropped from a crane," Leela deduced.

"So the killer could still be any of them," Yugi nodded.

"And we don't know how the killer could get Nina into that car without getting all torn up themselves," Gonzo added.

"I say no more being nice," Rabbit commented, hopping up onto an old refrigerator, "We have to keep them together and interrogate them. There's two dead now….the killings are only going to continue. We have to stone cold here…."

"Rabbit," Fox said to her friend, "We can't just start getting this harsh…."

"But Fox," Rabbit said, talking calm to the one he did have a crush on, "We aren't getting anywhere. Who's with me?"

Rabbit turned out to not be alone with his aggression about the situation. They included Tai Lung, Yumi, Pepe, Clam, Fry, and Bender (though the robot mostly joined out of apathy).

"Let's move out!" Rabbit called out to his team.

Skunk, Po, Ami, and the others watched as the mini troop went off into the junkyard.

"What are we going to do about all these objects?" Tod asked in reference to the items that took them out of their worlds.

"We just need to make sure everyone else is safe, they're probably going crazy now," Fox said to her fellow vulpine.

…..

Indeed, the 5 remaining survivors among the junkyard group were going to get items to defend themselves.

Courtney had returned to the limo she used as her personal dojo.

"God I need a smoke…" she said to herself, her entire body was twitching in fear. It took her a few seconds to accurately use her lighter.

"This is only gonna get worse…" she said to herself when she suddenly heard a knock on the side of the limo.

Opening the door, she saw who it was. "Thank God it's just you…," she said, relieved at the sight of one of her friends.

But that relief turned to fear when she saw the person before her pull out a knife.

"It was you…" she said in a horrified realization. Before she could turn and run, the killer stabbed her in the neck, killing Courtney.

"I'll be taking this," the killer smirked, picking up the lighter. The junkyard prison, though typically a dark and gloomy place, was very soon going to become a far brighter location.

….

"Sidney! Hartwell! Courtney! Anybody!" Rabbit called.

"SUSPECTS!" Clam exclaimed.

"First lost Slurm, then murder, this day sucks," Fry complained.

"What could go wrong now?" Yumi asked, when the answer hit her head on.

Tai Lung, with his carnivore sense of smell, noticed the smell of blood. The group followed the trail and soon came across Officer Foyer's body!

"Who the hell is this?" Bender asked.

"It looks like a cop," Fry realized.

"Can you track where she was killed?" Rabbit asked Tai Lung.

"I'm on it," the snow leopard nodded, and the group began searching for the scene of the crime.

….

Meanwhile, Fox and the others were proceeded with more caution.

"This is getting hopeless," Skunk frowned, "They all hate us, and we don't know who the killer is."

"Don't give up Skunk," Fox said, "I hope Rabbit's ok too…" She had given an indicator that Rabbit's feeling were not unrequited.

"Hold it," Tigress said, hearing a grunt, "I think someone's been hurt."

"Let's hurry then!" Joey exclaimed.

When the group reached the source of the noise, they saw something that made them shiver.

There was Hartwell, lying on the ground, a pool of blood around him!

"Oh geez," Lazlo gulped, feeling like he was going to throw up.

"Now there's 3 gone…." Fox frowned, angrily hitting an old toaster.

Just then, down in a tunnel in front of them, a commotion was heard. "Could that be the killer?" Raj asked.

"Let's go and find out," Po said, arming himself.

The remaining toons dashed into the tunnel.

….

Doyle did more with yo-yos than simply use them as a toy, he had trained himself to use them as weapons if self-defense was ever needed.

"Where are you….you monsters?" he growled silently to himself, spinning the yo-yos around angrily.

It was then the dog heard some levers being pulled. "Who's messing with the conveyor belts now?" he asked, confused.

But then, just below him, he heard the sound of the activated conveyor belt.

"What's going on?" Doyle heard Fozzie's voice yell.

"Wait a minute…" Doyle gasped in horror, realizing where they were. The toons from the other worlds were on a conveyor belt that led to a giant incinerator!

Doyle saw the killer step out of the control room in front of him.

"No way," the dog gasped, realizing what was going on. "It was you….this whole time? How could you?"

The killer answered very simply….with a gunshot. Right into Doyle's heart!

"Ack…" Doyle said weakly, trying to toss his yo-yos to defend himself, but it was too late. He fell dead to the ground. With no one else around alive, the killer was able to leave the conveyor belt running!

…

"It's coming from over here," Tai Lung called to Rabbit, Clam, Pepe, Fry, Bender, and Yumi.

"What is this place?" Yumi asked as they walked through the narrow, dark pathway.

"That looks like an elevator ok," Pepe noted, the prawn pointing his arm.

"That must be how she got down here," Tai Lung nodded, "But how could the killer have seen her coming? If they used a hook like we determined, there wouldn't be a way to get an accurate throw with one."

"Wait a minute…." Rabbit said, looking at the streamers in front of the elevator, which had been smashed to prevent use, "There's something covering this…"

Fry meanwhile was stepping through the mini pond of melted trash. "Hey!" he exclaimed excitedly, picking up something that was mostly gone, "My spare Slurm can!"

"How the hell did you get that?" Bender asked.

"I dunno," Fry shrugged, "But it's now all melted and icky. Eh, I'm sure it's still good."

Rabbit noticed a substance that covered the streamers, and when that substance got onto him, it was easier to see him in the dark. He had just overheard what Fry had said as well.

"What's with that expression?" Yumi asked, the skull on her shirt looking confused.

"I…I know who the murderer is!" Rabbit exclaimed, "We have to find the others, and fast!"

"FLAME!" Clam exclaimed.

"Huh?" Bender asked. When they emerged from the narrow hall, they saw parts of the junkyard were beginning to go up in flames!

….

"I don't know…..how long I can keep this going for," Po panted, the other detectives running for their lives on the conveyor belt.

"Don't give up!" Fox cried, the others beginning to feel the heat of the flames behind them.

"Yes, I love getting set on fire but I don't want to actually die!" Gonzo panicked.

The group had gone so far down the "tunnel" that the exit was beginning to seem more and more like an impossibility.

"Fox!" Skunk called, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't think I can make it!" Yugi called, the King of Games never was the most physically strong.

"YUGI!" Joey called, grabbing his friend's hand, "You can't give up now!"

But all of the detectives were beginning to get tired. The conveyor belt showed no signs of slowing down, and the fire behind them seemed very powerful.

"We did our best…." Tigress said, giving up. "Tai Lung…you'll have to live for the both of us…" he said silently.

Though they kept running, the group began to huddle. Skunk took Fix's paw, Bill and Aldo held paws/claws, Lazlo and Raj held hands, Tod and Vixey stood beside each other, Gonzo and Fozzie could only give each other a glance. Po and Tigress grabbed their paws, preparing for the end. Everyone closed their eyes…..

…and suddenly, they stopped moving.

"What on Earth?" Tod asked.

Bender had ripped a hole in the ceiling above the conveyor belt, while Rabbit and Tai Lung rushed to the control room to turn it off.

"We are so freakin happy to see you!" Po grinned, as everyone climbed to safety. The Dragon Warrior then turned to Tai Lung "You can SO count on me making an action figure of you, man," he complimented his best friend. "What's with the fire?"

"Thanks, Big Guy," Tai Lung smirked to Po., "But this place is beginning to go up in flames, we'll need to get out of here!"

"Oh Rabbit," Fox smiled, hugging him deeply. Rabbit's face turned redder than Fox's fur. He felt like he could get a nosebleed.

"We have to ask…" Rabbit said, recovering from the display of romance, "Did any of you see Hartwell?"

"I'm afraid he's dead," Ami replied somberly.

Rabbit and the ones who had followed him raised their eyebrows. "That can't be it," Fry said.

"Why?" Leela asked.

"Because Hartwell IS the killer," Rabbit revealed, to the shock of the others.

…..

"Oh god…" Sidney panicked, the tigress was running for her life, trying to avoid the fires. She then heard a beeping noise. "What could that be?" she asked.

"Sidney!" she heard Hartwell call.

"Hartwell?" Sidney said, relieved to see one of her friends still ok. "I can't find anyone else, I'm so glad to see you…" she said to the lion.

"We can't give up on them," Hartwell said, "We need to keep looking. Just stand by me."

"SIDNEY!" The two all of a sudden turned to see the toon detectives running towards them. Believing they were still the culprits, Sidney stood by Hartwell for safety.

"Get away from him Sidney!" Skunk called.

"Hartwell's the killer!" shrieked Aldo.

"What?" Sidney asked, confused.

"You can't possibly believe them, can ya Sidney?" Hartwell asked, "I'm your friend, remember?"

"Don't trust him!" Lazlo called, the group had to crawl over a pile of cars to reach them in time.

"Why should I believe you strangers?" Sidney asked, still siding with the animal she knew better.

"We know how he killed Nina," Fry gasped, "He used a vat of molten liquid to melt down all the cars in that big pile."

"And then, he used that stupid magnet that caught me," Bender grumbled, complaining at the memory, "To put in a new mountain of cars. She was in a random car that was put in the middle."

"That's how he was able to get Nina's body inside the car without getting all cut-up himself," Vixey explained.

"Hartwell…." Sidney said in a soft yet shocked voice.

"You guys prove any of that!" Hartwell laughed.

"My Slurm can," Fry panted, "It got knocked down into the car mountain before Nina was killed….and we found it melted later."

"But where's your proof that I'm the supposed crazy killer?" Hartwell laughed again.

"When we found the dead gorilla," Tai Lung began.

"Gorilla….Officer Foyer's dead?" Sidney asked in complete confusion.

"She was killed in a dark hallway, the killer would not be able to see her coming. But there were streamers right outside the elevator. Streamers that had been covered…in luminescent paint!" Rabbit continued.

"Paint that only an artist like Hartwell would use," Yumi concluded.

Sidney could only look at Hartwell now with fear and disgust. "You….you psychopath…"

Now, Hartwell could only giggle. His usually calm voice had descended into complete insanity. "They weren't happy…" he laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Sidney asked, scared.

"They were all…pessimistic," Hartwell continued, "They weren't being happy. And there's no place for sadness in this world. Nina had to die first….she was also so downbeat."

"Who else is dead?" Sidney asked, fearing the worst.

"You saw Mallick, I took care of Doyle and Courtney after that…" Hartwell listed.

Sidney stepped back in horror. The thought of so many of her friends gone was just what Hartwell needed. When she had her guard down, Hartwell pounced her!

"NO!" All of the other detectives cried.

Sidney saw Hartwell raise his knife. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

BANG. Sidney opened her eyes. Hartwell had lost the menacing look. He now looked to be in pain. BANG. With another gunshot, Hartwell fell dead.

Sidney and the group turned to see what happened. Emerging from the elevator nearby was Clay and his group. The cheetah cop had shot the killer.

"You saved me…" Sidney said in surprise to the person she had blamed for trapping her and her friends down here.

"It's what I do mam," Clay replied, his voice filled we regret.

"Everybody get in!" Rita called, "We have to get the heck out of here."

"We're free!" Fry grinned, as all the detectives climbed into the massive elevator.

…

As the group began their ascension back to Holbrook in the elevator, something felt off to Sidney.

"Something's not right," she said.

"What is it?" Bill asked the surviving tigress.

"Hartwell said how he killed Courtney and Doyle. But he didn't mention Ethan."

"Oh crap," Yumi said, realizing where this was going. "You don't mean…"

"Ethan's still down there!" Sidney screamed.

"But this place is going up in flames madam!" Officer McEdison called, "We have to get out NOW."

"I can't leave my friend behind!" Sidney yelled in return.

Seeing the determination on her face as well as his feelings of regret for leaving them all down in the junkyard prison, Clay hit a button, temporarily stopping the elevator's rising. "You have to be quick," he said sternly.

"I'll go as well," Shere Khan volunteered, to Bagheera's surprise, "Tigers must stick together."

…..

Shere Khan and Sidney raced into the inferno that the junkyard was quickly becoming. "ETHAN! ETHAN!" Sidney called out.

"I'm here!" they heard Ethan call from atop a junk pile.

"Hold on, prey creature!" Khan called, racing up the pile, having overcame his fear of fire.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked, bewildered.

"No time for that," Sidney said, hugging her friend, "We have to get to the elevator!"

As the trio ran, Ethan explained how he witnessed Doyle's death and hid from Hartwell.

"We have to go now," Clay said to the detectives.

"Here they come!" Tigress exclaimed.

"Take our paws!" Po said, he and Tai Lung holding out their paws. Khan, Sidney, and Ethan were able to climb into the safety of the elevator.

"Time to go," Cloud said.

"FREEDOM!" Clam exclaimed.

…

Up in Holbrook, almost all of the entire police force was waiting at the entrance to the junkyard prison when the elevator reached the top with Clay, Sidney, Ethan, and all the toons from other worlds.

"McEdison, what the hell happened down there?" Several cops asked.

"The case of Leslie Reynolds has finally been solved," Clay said.

Leela and the others began to explain what happened:

A while ago, Hartwell had sent Leslie a bracelet. A bracelet that had been rigged with several small blades that would very subtly cut her wrist. She was also given a glass that, while using it at the party, would make her put her paw (and thus her wrist) down on the table. Hartwell sliced up her other clothes to make sure she'd wear the bracelet. At the party, when she excused herself to the restroom, the blades began to really take effect. Hartwell used a glass cutter to get inside the window and retrieve the parts of his crime. He left a happy face sticker at the scene, in reference to his psycho obsession with optimism.

….

"I'm so sorry….about everything," Clay said to Ethan and Sidney, "I caused you and your friends so much disaster and a lot of them are dead because of me, and I lost my partner too…."

The tigress and rabbit could only look at the hurt face of the cop who made their lives so miserable. After everything…they felt they could finally forgive.

"We can help you atone for everything," Sidney assured.

….

Meanwhile, the detectives were saying their goodbyes to each other. Clay, after determining the worlds each of them belonged to, they learned they would all be sent home very soon.

"We probably would make good cops, wouldn't we?" Fox smirked to Rabbit.

"Hey…Foxy," Rabbit grinned, walking up to her, "Will you marry me?"

Fox blushed, but after everything, she could only smile and say "Yup." The two embraced with a hug and a big kiss.

"HA! You do like Fox!" Skunk teases, only to earn a backhand whack from Fox.

"After all this, Yuge," Joey smirked, "I challenge you to a duel when we get back!"

"You're on!" Yugi grinned in reply.

"Will you marry me, Leela?" Fry asked, hoping he'd have similar luck as Rabbit did. He got a smack in reply.

"We are SO gonna get our detective badges after this," Lazlo smiled to his friends.

Tai Lung, however, was also successful in the marriage proposal department, with Tigress agreeing to marry him. Po cheered them both on.

Shere Khan was more of an egomaniac now, if that was somehow possible.

"I think we should totally go back to showbiz," Pepe said to Gonzo and Fozzie, and they nodded in agreement.

"We should do a concert here Yumi," Ami said, and her partner nodded.

Everyone was going home now. Things were going back to normal…if you could consider any of these humans and animals normal!

….

In the end, chaos had nearly overcame the light, but the day managed to be saved for being a complete tragedy. Lives were lost, but the darkness was defeated. With a keen eye for details, one truth was able to prevail.

Case closed.


End file.
